- After previously being listed as doubtful, Spurs guard Devin Vassell returned to action on Wednesday in New York, as first reported by Charania (via Twitter) and later confirmed by the team (Twitter link via Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News). However, Vassell did not return to the starting lineup: second-year guard Malaki Branham will continue in that role for now. Vassell missed the past two games with a left adductor strain.
Pelicans guard CJ McCollum, who was diagnosed over the weekend with a small pneumothorax in his right lung was reexamined on Tuesday and medical imaging showed positive healing, the team announced today in a press release.
However, the Pelicans still aren’t prepared to provide any sort of projected recovery timeline for McCollum, simply stating that he’ll be reevaluated at “a later date” and that further updates will be announced once they’re available.
Like McCollum, Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado remains sidelined for the foreseeable future, though there’s a more concrete timetable in place for Alvarado, who is recovering from a right ankle sprain. According to the club, he’s making “good progress” and has resumed on-court work. The expectation is that Alvarado will return to full practices within the next week or two.
Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:
- Neither Pelicans forward Zion Williamson nor Warriors forward/center Draymond Green are injured, but both players have been ruled out for their games on Wednesday for personal reasons, per Christian Clark of NOLA.com and Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link). It’s worth noting that Golden State’s game vs. Denver is a nationally televised contest and Green is one of the players affected by the NBA’s player participation policy, but absences for personal reasons are permitted under that policy.
- After incorporating P.J. Tucker and James Harden within the last week, the Clippers are expected to get more reinforcements on Wednesday in Brooklyn. Terance Mann (ankle) is on track to make his season debut and will be on a minutes restriction, per Shams Charania of The Athletic.
- Spurs swingman Devin Vassell (left adductor strain) is listed as doubtful for Wednesday’s contest vs. the Knicks, tweets Andrew Lopez of ESPN. While Vassell likely won’t return tonight, he seems to be making good progress, according to Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News (Twitter link), who says the 23-year-old participated in today’s shootaround, as well as a post-practice four-on-four session.
Rockets forward Tari Eason is nearing a return from the leg injury that has sidelined him for the first two weeks of the 2022/23 season, writes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (subscription required). According to Feigen, head coach Ime Udoka said on Monday that Eason will practice on Tuesday and could be cleared to play in Wednesday’s game vs. the Lakers.
The second-year forward missed the Rockets’ final three preseason games and has been out for the club’s first six regular season contests due to a stress reaction in his left leg. Eason is one of Houston’s stronger defenders, so the team – which is riding a three-game winning streak – could use benefit from his presence on the wing.
“He’s a guy that kind of comes up with everything all the time,” Udoka said of Eason last week. “A great offensive rebounder. Just some grit and toughness that he brings. I think that physicality, obviously, is beneficial for our group. He does some things that are very instinctual and natural for him that we stressed.”
Here’s more from around the Southwest:
- While he’s known for his defense, offseason addition Dillon Brooks is providing the Rockets with solid offensive play in the early going this season, Feigen writes in another subscriber-only story for The Houston Chronicle. Brooks has posted a scorching hot .593/.565/.938 shooting line through his first six games in Houston.
- In his second game with the Grizzlies on Sunday, Bismack Biyombo was the team’s starting center, replacing Xavier Tillman (knee) and logging 26 minutes. The big man helped Memphis secure its first win of the season by putting up eight points, 11 rebounds four assists, and three blocked shots. Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal has the story on Biyombo’s instant impact in the middle.
- The Grizzlies signed Biyombo to his one-year, $5MM contract using a portion of their non-taxpayer mid-level exception, Hoops Rumors has confirmed. The Grizzlies also could have signed Biyombo using a disabled player exception if they were granted one for Steven Adams‘ season-ending knee injury, but there has been no confirmation yet that the team has been approved for a DPE for Adams.
- The Spurs have a 110.9 defensive rating when Victor Wembanyama is on the court compared to a disastrous 129.4 mark when he sits, a remarkable split for a rookie, albeit in a small sample. Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News (subscriber link) and Kelly Iko of The Athletic take a closer look at the impact that the No. 1 pick is having on defense for San Antonio.
The Lakers were missing a few rotation players for Saturday’s 19-point road loss to Orlando. Prior to the game, head coach Darvin Ham offered updates on those injured players, as Dave McMenamin of ESPN relays (via Twitter).
According to Ham, the Lakers anticipate having Rui Hachimura (concussion) and Taurean Prince (left patellar tendonitis) back “sooner rather than later,” whereas the return of Jarred Vanderbilt (left heel bursitis) figures to come “later rather than sooner.” Ham added that rookie Jalen Hood-Schifino, who is dealing with a right patella contusion, is “still a few weeks out.”
Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:
- The Spurs got good news on Devin Vassell, who underwent an MRI this week on a groin injury. According to Andrew Lopez of ESPN, the fourth-year swingman was diagnosed with a mild left adductor strain and will be considered day-to-day. While Vassell has been ruled out for Sunday’s game vs. Toronto, it sounds like he may not miss as much time as initially feared.
- Suns guard Devin Booker has been downgraded to out for Sunday’s game in Detroit, tweets Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports. As Bourguet notes (via Twitter), Booker is now dealing with a right calf strain after already battling a toe injury and a left ankle sprain this fall. He has been limited to just two regular season appearances so far.
- Nuggets guard Jamal Murray left Saturday’s win over Chicago in the second quarter due to right hamstring tightness. While the team has yet to issue a formal update on Murray’s status going forward, head coach Michael Malone expressed some concern about the nature of the ailment, as Bennett Durando of The Denver Post (subscriber link) writes. “You always worry about those types of injuries, because they can stick around for a while,” Malone said. “So we have to be smart about it.”
Rockets rookie guard Amen Thompson sprained his right ankle on Wednesday, with the team ruling him out of the contest shortly after he suffered the injury in the third quarter. According to Ben DuBose of Rockets Wire, head coach Ime Udoka said Thompson suffered a Grade 2 ankle sprain.
Thompson also sustained a Grade 2 left ankle sprain over the summer and that injury had a two-to-four week recovery timetable, according to DuBose, so it’s likely he’s looking at a similar return timeline for this injury.
The No. 4 overall pick is Houston’s primary backup point guard behind Fred VanVleet, so Aaron Holiday absorbed the brunt of Thompson’s minutes following his departure from the game. However, Udoka didn’t turn to Holiday right away, moving Jae’Sean Tate to the backcourt before bringing Holiday in, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle observes (subscriber link). Udoka wasn’t ready to fully commit to the idea of Holiday always being the backup in a three-guard rotation.
“I think we’ll go by committee a little bit,” Udoka said. “I think, the lineup that we had out there, even Amen was out there, we had Jae’Sean as another guy that can initiate, so we do have some guys I can kind of play up or down and fill different roles. We’ll look at it as game-to-game.”
Udoka praised Holiday’s playing ability and said he believed Holiday and VanVleet could play together. Feigen writes that improving the bench play of the Rockets is crucial and playing Holiday may be important to finding a consistent rotation.
“Depending on the team, for sure,” Udoka said. “Teams that have bigger wings, obviously that’ll pose some threats. But Aaron is a guy, similar to his brother, doesn’t have the height of Jrue, but he is a very physical, tough guy that can play on or off the ball. Fred does as well.”
According to Feigen, Udoka said there may be situations where he calls on Reggie Bullock, rookie Cam Whitmore or Tate to fill in some of the backcourt minutes.
Holiday signed a one-year, minimum-salary contract with the Rockets this offseason that has just $1MM guaranteed. If Holiday is on the roster on Jan. 10, that contract will become fully guaranteed.
We have more from the Southwest Division:
- Mavericks rookie center Dereck Lively II is a huge part of Dallas’s early season success, averaging 7.6 points and 7.0 rebounds while starting in four of the team’s five games so far. Lively said he’s learned from former Mavs champion Tyson Chandler, who joined the organization via the Mavs Legend Program, according to Marc J. Spears of Andscape. Chandler works with Mavericks centers in his role with the team, including the 19-year-old Lively. “He has a willingness to actually learn, listen and take in information,” Chandler said. “He has a great spirit. He reminds me a lot of myself. I feel the duty to actually be there for him and guide him as much as necessary.”
- The Grizzlies are a league-worst 0-6 to begin the season, facing a lengthy suspension to Ja Morant and injuries to key players like Steven Adams. Still, the Grizzlies were expected to be more competitive even with their early season issues, considering they brought in former Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart and have current reigning DPOY Jaren Jackson Jr., as well as Desmond Bane. Kelly Iko and John Hollinger of The Athletic dive into why Memphis’ struggles go deeper than suspensions and injuries, including Smart being a step slower on defense thus far and the younger players on the roster not taking a step forward. I recommend checking out the article in full if you have a subscription to The Athletic, as the pair explore the intriguing trade options Memphis has, along with a deeper look into the club’s problems.
- Experimenting with starting Jeremy Sochan at point guard has produced a mix bag of results for the Spurs. Even still, head coach Gregg Popovich expressed his appreciation with what the second-year guard/forward brings to the table, as relayed by Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News (Twitter link). Popovich said Sochan is “trending in the right direction” and has stood out defensively, adding that he likes how the former lottery pick is “taking care of the ball,” according to Orsborn. “It doesn’t matter who he guards, he does a wonderful job, creates a lot of chaos for us,” Popovich said.
Spurs wing Devin Vassell is expected to be out for a while due to a left groin injury, head coach Gregg Popovich told reporters after Thursday’s win in Phoenix, per Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required).
Vassell left the game late in the first half with tightness in his groin. Popovich said he told the 23-year-old to test the injury at halftime and to be honest about how it felt, and Vassell admitted he couldn’t go, tweets Andrew Lopez of ESPN.
The fourth-year swingman will undergo an MRI on Friday to assess the severity of the injury. The results of that MRI should help clarify Vassell’s recovery timeline, but it sounds like the team expects him to miss at least the next few games.
In his absence, the Spurs figure to lean more heavily on players like Cedi Osman, Doug McDermott, and Malaki Branham, who started the second half in Vassell’s place.
Vassell signed a five-year, $135MM+ rookie scale extension with the Spurs last month, securing his spot in the franchise’s long-term plans. He had gotten off to a strong start this season, averaging 19.4 points per game in his first five appearances – despite being limited to just 17 minutes on Thursday – and shooting 53.7% from the floor (40.7% on threes).
While it’s an unfortunate turn of events for the Spurs, Vassell’s injury was overshadowed on Thursday by a monster night for rookie Victor Wembanyama, who had the best game of his young career in leading San Antonio to a second consecutive road win over the Suns. Wembanyama put up 38 points and 10 rebounds, clinching the victory by scoring 10 points during a 12-0 run in the fourth quarter after Phoenix tied the game at 116.
The Grizzlies signed Bismack Biyombo to a one-year, $5MM deal with a $1MM guarantee on Wednesday rather than the $3MM prorated veteran’s minimum. Bobby Marks of ESPN points out (Twitter link) that if the Grizzlies had signed him to a minimum deal, he would have earned around $920K from now until late December, when Ja Morant‘s suspension is lifted, which is roughly the same guarantee he’ll make on the current contract.
Memphis was able to sign Biyombo because Morant is suspended for 25 games and was transferred to the suspended list. When Morant’s suspension is lifted on December 19, the Grizzlies will have to waive a player on their roster, which could be Biyombo. By signing the big man to these terms, the Grizzlies are creating extra roster flexibility moving forward.
Marks also points out Biyombo has a $5MM cap hit (rather than $1.9MM) and the Grizzlies can use his $5MM contract as a trade asset if he remains on the roster after Morant’s suspension is lifted. Biyombo would become trade-eligible on Feb. 2.
As we noted Thursday, if Biyombo were to prove too valuable to waive, Memphis would have to let go of another player on a guaranteed deal to keep him on the roster after Morant returns from suspension.
Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian adds (Twitter link) that if the Grizzlies were to use Biyombo’s $5MM salary for trading purposes, they’d be able to bring in up to $10MM in returning salaries.
We have more from the Southwest Division:
- Spurs forward Cedi Osman is off to a strong start to the season, averaging 11.8 points per game and helping San Antonio grab a couple early wins. Osman is one of the older players on a young Spurs team and is becoming a go-to guy for the club, Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News writes (Subscriber link). “He is like our seasoned pro on this team,” coach Gregg Popovich said. “He understands how to play, plays with emotion and aggressiveness, works hard at both ends of the court. He has really been a good example for all the younger players.” Osman is shooting 56.3% on his catch-and-shoot looks this season, The Athletic’s Kelly Iko points out in a separate piece.
- In that same story, Iko explores how Rockets center Alperen Sengun is becoming the “heartbeat” of the Rockets offense. Sengun ranks in the 100th percentile in usage-to-assist rate and popped in the Rockets’ pass-heavy game plan against the Hornets on Nov. 1. “Team play is always better,” Sengun said. “[Wednesday], we had 35 assists or something. That’s the key. Every game should be like that, I think. When we share the ball, everyone is happy. I’m happy we’re playing better.“
- The Grizzlies are currently the only winless team in the NBA, having lost their first five games, but they’re trying to remain unfazed by their slow start, according to Michael Wallace of Grind City Media. “You can’t get too high; can’t get too low because it’s a long season,” Marcus Smart said. “We’ve got to lock in a bit more down the stretch on the defensive end. It’s part of the learning process, part of coming into something new for everybody. For us, it’s just to keep going. Eventually, the tide is going to turn. Things are going to click. It’s just taking some time right now.” Luke Kennard and Santi Aldama, who are both out with injury, are expected back soon, according to Wallace.
The NBA’s next media rights contracts could have long-term ramifications, Kevin Draper and Benjamin Mullin of the New York Times report.
The league is hoping to more than double the $24 billion it receives from Disney and Warner Bros. in the current nine-year rights deal. However, the ever-changing media landscape could make those expectations unrealistic. Media and technology companies are under increasing pressure to justify the huge amounts they spend on broadcast rights.
Amazon and NBC are potential new partners for the NBA, the Times reporters add.
We have more from around the basketball world:
- It would have been nearly impossible for Victor Wembanyama to live up to the early hype. Indeed, the Spurs’ new big man had some rough moments in his first NBA week and was outshined by the Pistons’ second-year center Jalen Duren, John Hollinger of The Athletic notes. In Detroit’s first three games, Duren notched a league-leading 18 dunks and blocked eight shots while averaging 18.0 points and 14.5 rebounds. Duren has also shown a knack for reading the game on the move.
- There are a number of players earning money without suiting up or from previous organizations and Sam Yip of HoopsHype looks at the most notable dead money cap holds in the league. That includes free agent Kevin Porter Jr., who is getting paid $15.86MM by the Thunder after the Rockets traded the troubled guard. Rockets wing Reggie Bullock and free agent Khem Birch, who are being paid $11MM and $6.985MM respectively by the Spurs after being waived, also rank high on the list.
- The NBA has unveiled special courts for each team to be used during the in-season tournament, via a press release. Zach Lowe of ESPN explains how the league came up with the idea to distinguish tournament games from regular season contests with unique courts.
The NBA enacted a new player participation policy during the summer, but it hasn’t been effective in keeping stars on the court during the first week of the season, writes Joe Vardon of The Athletic. Many of the league’s top players have already sat out games, either for rest purposes or minor injuries.
Vardon points to Sixers center Joel Embiid, who was nearly rested for the team’s home opener on Sunday. It was only the third game of the season, but Embiid played 35 minutes Saturday at Toronto, so coach Nick Nurse considered giving him the night off. Because it was a back-to-back situation, that wouldn’t have violated the new policy.
“There’s nothing injury-wise. We just played last night, traveled and all that stuff,” Nurse explained.
NBA executive vice president Joe Dumars has talked about wanting to re-establish the culture of an 82-game season, but Vardon notes that James Harden, Jimmy Butler, Devin Booker and Donovan Mitchell are among the players who have already missed games.
However, the policy is at least making teams think twice about keeping their best players out of action. Nurse admits it factored into his decision making when he opted to play Embiid on Sunday, and a source tells Vardon that the Heat checked with the league office before resting Butler in Saturday’s game.
Here’s more from around the basketball world:
- Cooper Flagg, who is expected to be the top pick in the 2025 NBA draft, has announced that he will play college basketball at Duke, per Jeff Borzello of ESPN. The 16-year-old high school star revealed his choice in a commitment video, choosing the Blue Devils over Connecticut. Flagg opted to reclassify in August and will head to college next fall. “After I got on campus, I really started to envision myself in Durham,” Flagg said in his video. “All the love I felt made me really excited, seeing all the Crazies and the atmosphere in Cameron. I’m honored that I have the opportunity to join the Brotherhood.”
- NBA executives chose Mavericks guard Luka Doncic as the league’s best player under 25 years old, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. Doncic narrowly edged Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama for the honor, with one executive calling him “an elite offense all by himself.” Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards, Grizzlies guard Ja Morant and Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley rounded out the top five.
- Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report grades this year’s rookie scale extensions, which had to be finalized by last Monday, based on their benefit to both the players and their teams.
A starter in 65 of his 68 games last season, Spurs guard Tre Jones has come off the bench for the first two contests of 2023/24. He was one of the team’s most productive players on Wednesday vs. Dallas, piling up 16 points, six assists, and five rebounds in 25 minutes, but he sat in crunch time as Gregg Popovich turned to Jeremy Sochan with the scored tied at 118 and just over two minutes remaining. The Spurs ultimately lost the game.
“I just want to do everything I can to help my team win,” Jones said, per Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required). “Obviously, being on the floor I feel like I can help my team win, but we had to do different lineups and whatnot to match up with them on the defensive end.
“They just hit some tough shots at the end, very tough shots. That’s just how it goes sometimes. Got to stay ready. There will always be different lineups down the stretch. We don’t know who is going to be in there. We are all ready and we all believe in one another.”
Jones’ readiness paid off on Friday as he got the nod late in the fourth quarter and in overtime over Sochan and helped deliver the first victory of San Antonio’s season. Although he only scored six points, the point guard dished out eight assists and was a team-high plus-14 in his 33 minutes.
Here’s more on the Spurs:
- While Jones played at the point in Friday’s crunch-time minutes, the Spurs want Sochan to continue getting comfortable at the position, as Popovich said after the opener on Wednesday. “We’re just trying to educate him and it is a new position for him,” Popovich said, according to Orsborn. “He’s learning something. Every practice, every game he’s going to learn. But I love his energy, his defensive energy. He’s learning how to control a group out there, so it’ll take a little bit of time for him and (his teammates) to jell together, but I was really pleased with him overall.” Sochan did check back into Friday’s game with 21 seconds left in overtime and hit two big free throws to help seal the victory.
- After not getting the ball to Victor Wembanyama during the final few possessions of Wednesday’s loss, the big man’s teammates rectified that approach on Friday, showing in the rookie’s second NBA game that they trust him with the ball when the game is on the line — and he delivered, tying the game with a big basket in the final minutes, writes Mike Finger of The San Antonio Express-News. “Learning from the mistake,” Keldon Johnson said after the win.
- Kelly Iko of The Athletic spoke to a scout about what he has seen from Wembanyama in his first two NBA games. “Offensively, his skill is ahead of his physicality. And I think as his physicality over time catches up, you’ll start to see him impacting the game defensively as well as rebounding-wise,” the scout said. “Those two things right now stand out. He still needs time to catch up, but offensively, I don’t really worry. He can get any shot he wants. He has a certain fluidity and a feel that’s just rare for his size.”
- Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai, who initially opposed the idea of the Spurs leaving Front Bank Center for a new downtown arena, has become more open to that possibility, writes Molly Smith of The San Antonio Express-News. The Spurs’ lease at their current arena doesn’t expire in 2032, but the franchise has expressed interest in building an arena in the city’s urban core. Sakai says he has had “preliminary discussions” with team and city officials.