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Atlantic Injury Notes: Achiuwa, Sharpe, Nets, Raptors

December 1st, 2024 at 10:13pm CST by Rory Maher

Knicks forward/center Precious Achiuwa has yet to make his 2024/25 debut as he continues to recover from a hamstring strain. He told Stefan Bondy of The New York Post that he’s been a full participant in practices and is day-to-day, but he’s not sure when he’ll be able to return.

“I need to get to that point where I’m able to build confidence with myself again,” Achiuwa said. “I’m an explosive player. For me to be able to explode, I’m going to have to build that confidence. … Once I get to that point where I feel like I’m optimal to play, I’ll be out there playing.”

Achiuwa, who will hit free agency again next summer after re-signing with New York on a one-year deal, thinks he’ll give the Knicks a defensive boost once he’s back.

“I think one of my biggest gifts is defensive versatility, being able to guard multiple positions, one through five,” Achiuwa said. “For me, coming back, we’re already probably the best offense in the league right now. So how can I add onto the team on the defensive end and being able to make us elite on that side? I think we do have the potential to be elite defensively.”

Here are a few more injury notes from the Atlantic Division:

Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez said on Sunday that Day’Ron Sharpe is close to making his season debut, tweets Brian Lewis of The New York Post. “We could see him at some point this week,” Fernandez said. “Right now he’s going through the process of going through contact drills, then see how he feels after that and take the next step. So, that’s as much as I can tell you.” A fourth-year center who is recovering from a left hamstring strain, Sharpe will be a restricted free agent in 2025.
Two Nets were injured in Sunday’s loss to Orlando, according to Lewis (Twitter links). Ben Simmons sustained a left knee contusion and was ruled out for the remainder of the game after playing about 12 minutes, and forward Cameron Johnson, who was already dealing with a right ankle sprain, tweaked his left ankle. However, Johnson plans to do everything he can to suit up for Monday’s back-to-back in Chicago. “It’s the opposite. I’m even now, so I’ll be alright,” Johnson said.
Raptors guard Gradey Dick is making progress from his left calf injury, head coach Darko Rajakovic said ahead of Sunday’s win over Miami (Twitter link via Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca). Dick is day-to-day and the team hopes he’ll be able to practice this week. Bruce Brown (knee) and Kelly Olynyk (back) remain in reconditioning programs, with no set timelines for their returns, per Lewenberg. Both veterans have yet to suit up this season.

Battle, Agbaji Have Big Nights In First Road Win

November 28th, 2024 at 1:51pm CST by Rory Maher

The Raptors‘ first road victory of the season came in blowout fashion on Wednesday in New Orleans. Toronto received contributions up and down the roster, but the play of Jamison Battle (a career-high 24 points on 9-of-11 shooting), Ochai Agbaji (24 points on 9-of-10 shooting, six rebounds) and Ja’Kobe Walter (14 points, 11 rebounds, five assists) was particularly encouraging, per Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca. Battle is on a two-way contract after going undrafted out of Ohio State, while Walter was a first-round pick in June’s draft (No. 19 overall). A former lottery pick, Agbaji will be eligible for a rookie scale extension next summer.

Floundering Pelicans ‘Embarrassed’ After Latest Loss

November 28th, 2024 at 9:16am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pelicans were blown out by the Raptors on Wednesday in Dejounte Murray‘s return from a fractured hand. Murray and his teammates left their home court humiliated with their season at a crossroads. Their fans turned on them during the 119-93 loss and Murray couldn’t blame them.

“If you’re not embarrassed and really mad about this, that’s a problem,” Murray said, per Brett Martel of the Associated Press. “It’s not really about the loss, (but) how we lost in front of our fans, Like, even the fans booing — I mean, what would you do if you was a fan paying your money? You want to come watch a competitive basketball game, especially from your home team. So, they got all the rights to say what they want, feel how they feel. They deserve a better game.”

Entering the season, the Pelicans looked like a contender with Murray, acquired in a trade with Atlanta, joining a lineup that included Zion Williamson, CJ McCollum and Brandon Ingram, along with proven role players Trey Murphy, Herbert Jones and Jose Alvarado.

Injuries have left them scrambling the first two months of the season. They have lost six straight and 15 of their last 17. Williamson, Ingram, Murphy, Jones and Alvarado remain sidelined but Murray says the compete level must rise, no matter who is available. Toronto came into New Orleans winless on the road.

“When you’ve got guys in, guys out, guys in, guys out, it’s really tough,” said Murray, who finished with 14 points after missing his first seven field goal attempts. “But I think it’s not tough to compete. You can’t get punked. You can’t get pushed around. Tonight, it was just disgusting. We’ve got to compete. We’ve got to play harder, no matter who’s on the floor.”

It’s fair to wonder whether changes might be coming soon, either to the roster or the coaching staff. Head coach Willie Green knows a quick turnaround is needed if his team wants to get back in the postseason picture.

“Starting with me, we have to be better,” Green said, according to Christian Clark of the New Orleans Times-Picayune. “That was a lack of competition. We allowed a team to come on our home floor and make us look soft. That’s what I told our group. That can’t happen.”

Toronto shot 49.5 percent from the field and had 38 assists on 47 made baskets.

“Either they got better overnight, or we’ve got to do a better job closing out and making it more difficult,” McCollum said. “It was a horrible showing. From top to bottom, we’ve all got to be better.”

New Orleans now heads out on a three-game road swing with stops in Memphis, New York and Atlanta.

Atlantic Notes: George, Embiid, Anunoby, Boucher

November 26th, 2024 at 1:47pm CST by Luke Adams

Sixers stars Paul George (left knee bone bruise) and Joel Embiid (left knee injury management) will remain out for the team’s game on Wednesday vs. Houston, as Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer relays (Twitter link).

While George was a partial participant in Tuesday’s practice, Embiid, Kyle Lowry (right hip strain), and Caleb Martin (low back soreness) didn’t take part at all. Lowry will join Embiid and George as unavailable for Wednesday’s contest; Martin will be listed as questionable to suit up.

George told reporters, including Pompey (Twitter link), that he hopes to return within the next week. After hosting the Rockets on Wednesday, the 76ers will head out on a brief two-game road trip to Detroit on Saturday and Charlotte on Tuesday before returning home next Wednesday to face Orlando. Based on George’s comments, it sounds like he’ll try to make it back for one of those back-to-back games next Tuesday and Wednesday.

A return timeline for Embiid remains unclear.

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

The Sixers signed Embiid to a three-year, maximum-salary extension this past offseason that will keep him under contract through at least 2028, with a 2028/29 player option projected to be worth north of $69MM. The move was viewed by the 76ers at the time as a “no-brainer,” writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer, but given the way this season has played out so far, it’s fair to wonder if the club will come to regret that investment, Pompey acknowledges.
On Saturday, OG Anunoby scored 27 points, his highest total since joining the Knicks nearly a year ago. On Monday, he dwarfed that total by pouring in a career-high 40 points in a win over Denver. “I’ve never been on a team like this before,” Anunoby said after New York scored 145 points and tied a franchise record with 45 assists, per Peter Botte of The New York Post. “… It’s cool to score 40 points, but it’s better to win. What did we win by, 20-something? I’m happier about that.” Anunoby spoke earlier this month about wanting to be known as a standout “two-way player” rather than just a defender. His recent performances have certainly helped make that case.
Within a grab-bag article about various Raptors-related topics, Eric Koreen of The Athletic considers whether big man Chris Boucher will have any value as an in-season trade chip. Boucher is averaging 11.2 points per game, the second-best mark of his career, and the team is 4.4 points per 100 possessions better when he’s on the court. Koreen suggests that Boucher, who is earning $10.81MM on an expiring contract, could potentially bring back a second-round pick or two, along with matching salary.

Injury Notes: Monk, Sixers, Hayes, Dick, Hornets, Ball

November 25th, 2024 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Kings guard Malik Monk has been unavailable since November 10 due to a right ankle sprain, but it sounds like he could be back in action on Monday. Sources tell NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter link) that Monk will go through pre-game warm-ups with the intention of playing vs. Oklahoma City.

Monk has officially been listed as questionable to suit up, notes Sean Cunningham of FOX 40 in Sacramento (Twitter link).

It would provide the Kings’ offense with a much-needed jolt if Monk is able to return. The team, which had a 115.2 offensive rating (ninth in the NBA) and a 6-4 record through its first 10 games, has posted a 111.9 mark (18th) and gone 2-5 with Monk inactive.

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

Paul George (knee bone bruise) did some on-court work over the weekend and the swelling has gone down in Joel Embiid‘s left knee, Sixers head coach Nick Nurse told reporters on Sunday (Twitter link via Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports). While Nurse said both stars are making progress, it remains to be seen whether either will be available on Wednesday vs. Houston.
Lakers center Jaxson Hayes, who has been on the shelf since November 10 due to a left ankle sprain, has been listed as probable to play on Tuesday vs. Phoenix and said he “definitely” expects to suit up, according to Khobi Price of The Southern California News Group (Twitter links).
Second-year wing Gradey Dick had appeared in the Raptors‘ first 17 games this season, emerging as one of their go-to scoring options, but he’ll be sidelined on Monday vs. Detroit due to a left calf strain, tweets Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca. It’s unclear how much time Dick might miss beyond Monday as a result of the injury.
The Hornets assigned injured centers Mark Williams (left foot tendon strain) and Nick Richards (rib fracture) to the G League to practice with the Greensboro Swarm on Monday, according to the team (Twitter link). That’s a sign that both big men are getting close to returning. Williams has yet to make his season debut, while Richards has been out since November 1.
Bulls guard Lonzo Ball has been upgraded to doubtful for Tuesday’s contest vs. the Wizards, notes K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network (Twitter link). That’s the first time Ball has been listed as anything besides “out” since spraining his right wrist on October 28, so it appears his return isn’t far off.

Raptors Notes: Brown, Road Woes, Chomche, Walter

November 23rd, 2024 at 9:54pm CST by Arthur Hill

Bruce Brown has been limited by injuries since the Raptors acquired him from Indiana in January, but he feels ready to prove himself as he gets closer to making his season debut, writes Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca. After undergoing arthroscopic surgery shortly before the start of training camp, Brown is expected to return to action sometime during the team’s four-game road trip.

“I don’t know if y’all noticed, but last year I didn’t look really engaged or (have) a lot of (the) energy I had with other teams because I was playing on one leg,” Brown said after participating in Saturday’s practice. “I want that to be addressed: I know a lot of fans didn’t think I played with a lot of energy, and I didn’t want to be here — that’s on social media — but I do want to be here, I do want to play with these guys, it’s a great bunch of guys, great coaches, great organization, but I was literally playing on one leg. It was tough for me mentally, I couldn’t move the way I wanted, play defense the way I wanted, so it was tough.”

Brown served as a versatile reserve on Denver’s 2023 title team and was one of the hottest names in free agency that summer before landing a two-year, $45MM contract with the Pacers. The Raptors picked up their $23MM team option on Brown during the offseason, hoping he would be fully recovered from the right knee issues that plagued him after he came to Toronto last season.

“I was on one leg. You could watch, first half I was pretty much fine, once the second half started and it got really stiff,” he said. “I couldn’t run, couldn’t move, (but) we had so many guys out, that’s just not how I’m built (to sit out). If I can go out there and play, I go out there and play. It was tough, obviously, it didn’t look good some of the time, I didn’t perform the way I was supposed to, but if I can do a little bit, then why not.”

There’s more from Toronto:

The Raptors are the only remaining team without a road victory, notes Ryan Wolstat of The Toronto Sun. One reason is that Scottie Barnes, who returned Thursday from an orbital bone fracture, has only played in one game away from home. Another is that RJ Barrett has been a totally different player in home games, averaging 29.3 PPG and shooting 50.8% from the floor at Scotiabank Arena and 19 PPG while shooting 37.2% everywhere else.
The Raptors are happy with the progress of second-round pick Ulrich Chomche with their G League affiliate. Appearing on The Raptors Show with Blake Murphy (video link), Raptors 905 coach Drew Jones said the former Basketball Africa League big man is handling the adjustment well. “He’s a sponge, man, and people use that term loosely, but he really is,” Jones said. “And not only is he trying to absorb the information, he’s trying to apply it in real time.”
As the Raptors head out on the road, rookie guard Ja’Kobe Walter will remain with the G League team to work his way back from a shoulder injury, Grange tweets.

Scottie Barnes Returns, May See More Time At Point Guard

November 22nd, 2024 at 12:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

Scottie Barnes said he “felt great” Thursday night as he returned to the Raptors‘ lineup after missing 11 games with an orbital bone fracture, per Michael Grange of Sportsnet. Grange points out that Barnes replaced Davion Mitchell in the starting lineup and might have the skills to be successful as an oversized point guard even when Immanuel Quickley returns from his injury. “The way he shares the ball, the way he’s playing unselfishly — I don’t want Scottie Barnes to be anything outside of Scottie Barnes,” coach Darko Rajakovic said. “I just need him to be the best version of himself. And when he’s that, he’s really raising the people around him to another level. He’s making everybody around him better.”

Atlantic Notes: Nets Veterans, Wilson, Brunson, Embiid, Sixers, Barnes, More

November 21st, 2024 at 11:04pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Multiple Nets veterans have been the subjects of trade speculation since their arrival to the team. Cameron Johnson, Bojan Bogdanovic, Ben Simmons, Dennis Schröder and Dorian Finney-Smith are among the players who have been involved in trade rumors for some time, with fourth-year guard Cam Thomas joining them this week.

A few of those players are off to career-best starts for a team that’s been surprisingly competitive at 6-9. Johnson exploded for 34 points on Tuesday, as Net Income at NetsDaily writes.

“All three of us have been traded before. It’s not something that we’re worried about,” Johnson said in explaining why he, Finney-Smith and Schröder are playing well. “There’s a lot of speculation about a lot of things, all of our whole careers, my whole career, speculation about this, speculation about that. You hear a lot of outside noise. There’s no sense in letting it bother you. There’s no sense in letting it get to you. Let the future be the future. Control what you can control now.

“The other thing is, we enjoy our group, playing together. I think we are a group that gets along well with each other, and that’s important. So as long as we’re together, we’re gonna fight for wins, and we’re gonna enjoy representing Brooklyn. And whatever the future holds, it holds.”

Johnson’s been happy with how the organization has handled him during his time there, according to Net Income. While the plan is still to select a cornerstone in the upcoming draft and Johnson seems more likely than not be traded, he’s making an impact alongside the other vets.

“Honestly, he’s just been hooping,” teammate Trendon Watford. “I’m not surprised by it. Cam’s a great player, so I’m not surprised by it at all. Last year was last year. He obviously heard all the noise and took it with a grain of salt and came back. And now he’s doing what we know CJ can do.”

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

With Thomas missing Tuesday’s game against the Hornets due to a minor injury, second-year forward Jalen Wilson stepped up, according to Andrew Crane of the New York Post. Wilson scored a team-high 17 points in the Nets win while making a career-high five three-pointers. The Nets hold a team option for next season on Wilson, who could see his role increase if some of Brooklyn’s veterans are moved ahead of the trade deadline.
Jalen Brunson didn’t want to specifically address the rumors that the NBA is looking into his father’s promotion to lead assistant on the Knicks‘ coaching staff. However, according to the New York Post’s Stefan Bondy, he had a message for anyone questioning Rick Brunson‘s coaching credentials. “He’s more than qualified for that position,” Jalen said. “He’s a person who has been around the NBA for a long time, who has been around [Tom Thibodeau] for longer than he’s been around the NBA. I think he understands the business, I think he understands the game, I think he understands the head coach. So he’s more than qualified. Look at the way he’s taught me and raised me and how I’ve seen him impact others in all different levels of basketball — high school, college, pros.“
Following a report Thursday morning indicated Joel Embiid wasn’t happy that a Sixers team-only meeting was leaked, Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer writes on Marc Stein’s Substack that one source told him on Tuesday that Embiid would be “furious” about the leak and would try to find the culprit. Fischer adds that Tyrese Maxey getting involved and holding Embiid accountable is a silver lining to the situation. Tobias Harris used to serve as a veteran voice and leader for the Sixers, so it was crucial that someone else step up now that Harris is in Detroit.
Fischer also confirmed that Embiid has preferred to hold some level of control over what the Sixers‘ injury report lists him as and how it’s reported.
Raptors star Scottie Barnes played on Thursday for the first time in nearly a month. Following reporting that he would be on a minutes restriction, Barnes ended the night with 17 points in 27 minutes of action. The Raptors did not start a traditional point guard, opting for Barnes over Davion Mitchell, who moved to the bench. Mitchell being moved to the second unit meant Ochai Agbaji maintained his starting role, TSN’s Josh Lewenberg notes (Twitter link). Barnes hadn’t played since Oct. 28, missing 11 games during that time.
Ja’Kobe Walter, who missed the last six games for the Raptors, was available to play on Thursday, Sportsnet.ca’s Blake Murphy tweets. The 2024 19th overall pick also missed some time at the beginning of the season due to injury.

Rodney Hood Announces Retirement

November 21st, 2024 at 3:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Veteran NBA swingman Rodney Hood has decided to call it a career, telling ESPN’s Dave McMenamin that he’s retiring as a player (Twitter link).

“It was tough to retire,” Hood said within a longer statement detailing the various stages of his career. “But I’m at peace with it. I tried really hard to hold on. I had an Achilles tear and I was kind of a shell of myself. When I got a chance to get healthy again, I tried to play in the G League this past spring and got hurt again. It was just my body telling me that I needed to move on.”

After playing his college ball for Mississippi State and Duke, Hood was selected with the 23rd pick in the 2014 draft and began his NBA career with the Jazz. In addition to playing for Utah, he spent time with the Cavaliers, Trail Blazers, Raptors, Bucks, and Clippers over the course of eight years in the league.

Hood, 32, appeared in a total of 448 regular season games from 2014-22, averaging 10.4 points per game on .420/.366/.841 shooting. The Mississippi native also chipped in 2.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 24.5 minutes per night during the regular season and saw action in the playoffs with the Jazz, Cavs, and Blazers from 2017-19.

His best season came in 2017/18, when he averaged a career-high 14.7 PPG with a .381 3PT% in 60 games for Utah and Cleveland, earning a spot on one Sixth Man of the Year ballot at season’s end.

Hood indicated in his announcement that he envisions himself as a coaching role in the next phase of his career.

“I always felt like after my playing career is when I will make my big mark with helping younger guys get to the next level,” he said. “So I’m looking forward to that. I want to coach.

“It reminds me of the famous Roosevelt speech, ‘The man in the arena.’ I was in the arena. I wasn’t the best player, but I got a chance to be around and play against some of the best players that ever played. I think that gives me an insight. And I’ve also been through the mud. I dealt with injuries. I went through trades. Sometimes I was the No. 2 option, sometimes I was the last guy off the bench. I’ve been through it all. I plan to use my experiences to pour into others and help a lot of guys coming up in the game in his next phase of my life.”

Atlantic Notes: Maxey, Brown, Tatum, Knicks, Barnes

November 20th, 2024 at 10:09pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Sixers All-Star point guard Tyrese Maxey explained his thinking behind some of the comments he made during a team meeting on Monday, writes Tony Jones of The Athletic. Philadelphia had fallen to a 2-11 record after losing to the Heat and former Sixers star small forward Jimmy Butler.

Maxey reportedly called out All-NBA Philadelphia center Joel Embiid for tardiness issues and occasional unexcused absences.

“I wanted to speak up,” Maxey said. “I felt the need to do that because I wanted to share that we are better than what we have shown on the floor. There was a lot said, but it is what it is. We said what we had to say and we have to figure out a way to move on to the rest of the season. Everyone understands what’s at stake. Everyone is feeling the hurt.”

Despite an awful start to their season, the Sixers reportedly have no plans to fire either head coach Nick Nurse or general manager Daryl Morey.

Maxey, who had missed Philadelphia’s last six games, suited up alongside fellow All-Stars Embiid and Paul George for the first time this season against Memphis on Wednesday.

There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:

On Tuesday, Celtics All-Stars Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum helped Boston to end the Cavaliers‘ 15-game winning streak to open the year with beefed-up, physical defense, writes Jay King of The Athletic. “I thought both of them handled the pressure and the physicality well,” head coach Joe Mazzulla said. “We played a little bit slower, but it was more important to get to the proper spacing. It was more important to get our drive-and-kick reads. And they did a great balance of handling the pressure, driving to attack, driving to get to the free-throw line, driving to find guys.” By dropping Cleveland’s record to 15-1, the reigning champs in Boston proved that they remains the class of the conference until further notice, opines Jared Weiss of The Athletic.
The Knicks are finally starting to mesh after a shaky start to the season, writes Ian Begley of SNY.tv. New York is currently riding high on a three-game win streak. “Just gelling, continuity, getting more acclimated with each other,” new trade acquisition Karl-Anthony Towns said of the club’s improvement. “Just understanding what everyone’s going to do and how they’re going to cut and just building trust with each other.”
Begley also notes that Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau continues to reiterate how much he liked the fit of free agent guard Landry Shamet with New York. Shamet, signed to a training camp deal, was cut after suffering a shoulder injury during the preseason. He has been rehabilitating while with New York’s Westchester NBAGL affiliate. Begley anticipates that, should Shamet recover this season, he will have a home with the Knicks.
Raptors All-Star forward Scottie Barnes was cleared to fully participate in practice Wednesday for the first time since suffering an orbital bone fracture last month. Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca notes that Barnes’ eventual return could give Toronto a sense of what it has in its present core. The team’s intended starting five of Barnes, Gradey Dick, Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, and Jakob Poeltl has not logged a single minute together yet this season. Grange notes that Barnes will be on a minutes restriction and will don protective goggles when he does return. “We all know how to play with each other,” Barnes said. “We had some reps at it, but we couldn’t get that many due to some injuries. But now we all know how to fit in with each other, play with each other, get each other going, and we know what we all like. We’ve been at it for a little while. We’ll get things going with time.”