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Nets Notes: Clowney, Highsmith, First-Round Picks, Wolf

December 10th, 2025 at 8:37pm CST by Arthur Hill

A change in attitude is leading Nets power forward Noah Clowney to a breakout season, writes Bridget Reilly of The New York Post. Clowney admits being disappointed in the way he started his third NBA campaign, believing he was “too conservative” in his approach. That changed over the last 16 games, as he’s averaging 16.6 PPG while shooting 45% from the field and nearly 40% from three-point range.

“I didn’t want to mess up, so it got to a point where I just stopped caring. I was like, I’m either going to look crazy or look good doing what I’m supposed to do,” Clowney said. “I think my problem was at a time where I would be too worried about how I looked from the outside. I don’t really care no more because I had to realize the only people whose opinion I really care about and how I’m playing is my teammates and coaching staff that have seen me the whole summer. So, they know what I’m capable of so they weren’t having an issue with what I was doing. Just a matter of doing it and not halfway doing it.”

Clowney has become a fixture in the starting lineup and is playing 28.1 minutes per night, the most of his career, on a Brooklyn team has become surprisingly competitive after an 0-7 start. He’s seeing more time alongside Michael Porter Jr. and Nic Claxton, which is creating better scoring opportunities. According to Reilly, they have a +3.37 net rating in the 304 minutes they’ve been on the court together.

“It’s always easier to play with Mike because of the gravity he brings,” Clowney said. “You gotta respect him. If Mike is playing, the best defender is probably guarding Mike. I think he’s a focal point, obviously. So, he’s the focal point and I’m not a focal point. It’s a lot easier to get in the flow of the game and I think I’ve been able to thrive.”

There’s more from Brooklyn:

Haywood Highsmith was able to shoot free throws Tuesday at the team’s practice facility, but there’s no official update on when he might be able to return from offseason surgery to fix a meniscus tear in his right knee, Reilly adds. Highsmith, who was acquired from Miami over the summer, suffered a setback in October and has yet to make his Nets debut. “We like how he’s progressing, we just don’t have any updates,” coach Jordi Fernandez said. “But he’s doing very well.”
The Nets have an organizational plan for what they expect from their five first-round picks this season, Reilly states in a separate story. Fernandez wants them all to play between 50 and 70 games — whether it’s in the NBA or with the G League affiliate in Long Island — and to concentrate on building certain skills. Only No. 8 pick Egor Demin hasn’t spent time in the G League so far. “There are no emotional decisions here,” Fernandez said. “We have a schedule for these guys based on if they’re accomplishing certain things and what the team needs here to compete.”
Fernandez describes the relationship with Long Island as “two clubs, but one organization,” per C.J. Holmes of The New York Daily News (subscription required). The biggest beneficiary so far has been rookie big man Danny Wolf, who barely got off the bench early in the season, but returned as a different player after a dominant stretch at Long Island. He’s averaging 11.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists over his last six games while shooting 44.4% from beyond the arc, and his versatility enables Fernandez to utilize taller lineups.

Pacific Notes: Clippers, Booker, Lakers’ Court, Post, LaVine

December 10th, 2025 at 7:24pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Clippers are tied for 13th in the West at 6-18, but this season hasn’t been the complete disaster that the record would suggest, writes Janis Carr of The Orange County Register (subscription required). L.A. has been competitive in numerous games before seeing them slip away at the end, including its last two losses at Memphis and Minnesota. The Clippers are only three games away from a play-in spot, and coach Tyronn Lue believes a turnaround is coming.

“We’ve really played some good basketball and had a chance to win those games,” he said. “So, when you look at it and you’re not able to close the game and finish the game, that’s the only thing that’s kind of frustrating. … I mean, we definitely can turn it around. One big shot, one big rebound, one less turnover, things like that. And when you’re able to do that, that’s when you can start winning games.”

Injuries have played a role in the disappointing start, as Bradley Beal was lost for the season after appearing in just six games, Kawhi Leonard has been limited to 14 games and Derrick Jones Jr. has been sidelined since mid-November with an MCL sprain. Nicolas Batum said the team needs to find a way to overcome that adversity.

“It’s not an excuse, but it is a challenge every day to come with a different lineup,” he said. “When you start losing one, two, three, four, five games, you think about that also. We right now just need to focus on what we have. We have more than enough to beat teams and to be winning games.”

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

There was hope that Devin Booker might be able to return from a groin injury in time for tonight’s NBA Cup contest at Oklahoma City, but the Suns downgraded him to out shortly before game time, tweets Tim MacMahon of ESPN. “He’s continuing to make progress,” coach Jordan Ott said (Twitter video link from Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic). “We checked in with him after his work there in shootaround. He’s making great progress. We just need a couple of days. We’ll be smart with this thing. It’s a long season.”
The Lakers won’t be using their NBA Cup court when they host the Spurs tonight, according to Dan Woike and Sam Jane of the Athletic. There were complaints that the surface was too slippery after it was unveiled for a November 25 game, and the Lakers opted for their normal court when they hosted Dallas in another NBA Cup contest three nights later. “That was bad,” Rui Hachimura said after playing on the court. “I felt it right away when I was warming up. It just felt weird. Just like oily, slippery. Everybody was on the floor, literally. Every second.”
Warriors big man Quinten Post said the playoff series against Houston showed him that he needed to get stronger so he could handle the NBA’s physical style of play, per Grant Afseth of RG. Post didn’t make his NBA debut until after Christmas last season, but now he’s an important part of Golden State’s rotation. “At first, your body has to get used to all the work that you put in, and you’re sore because we spent a lot of time in the weight room this summer,” Post said. “But now that the season has started, I definitely feel different just in being able to hold my ground and going up without fouling.”
The Kings have ruled Zach LaVine out for Thursday’s game against Denver due to soreness in his right thumb, relays Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee (Twitter link). Dennis Schröder is doubtful with a strained right hip flexor.

Thunder Notes: Paul, SGA, Dort, Holmgren

December 10th, 2025 at 6:12pm CST by Arthur Hill

The single season that Chris Paul spent with the Thunder planted the seeds for last year’s championship run and the current 23-1 start, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPN. Paul was traded to Oklahoma City in the summer of 2019, along with a collection of draft assets, in the deal that sent Russell Westbrook to Houston. He regularly invited his younger teammates to his home on off nights to watch other NBA teams play and used those games as teaching opportunities. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luguentz Dort both credit that experience with helping them develop into better players.

“Chris really was the first person to show me what it meant to be a professional,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “He was always doing extra. It was more so off the court than on the court. It was the things you don’t think about as a kid. As a kid, you’re taught to just work super hard, but you’re not really taught nutrition and taking care of your body, getting massages, getting treatment, those type of things he was always on top of. He just always had a get-better mentality in every way, in every way of life.”

Paul was especially influential with Dort, who was in his rookie season when they were teammates. Paul bought him an iPad to study game footage, along with a subscription to the Second Spectrum video service. He was also vocal about encouraging Dort not to pass up open shots, even though he was connecting at less than 30% from beyond the arc at the time.

“I used to be on Lu all the time,” Paul said. “I used to say, ‘Lu, you play defense so hard and you compete so hard that I don’t care if you miss (shots) on offense. I just want you to shoot it and give yourself a chance.’ When guys compete and play like that, then you live with the results.”

There’s more from Oklahoma City:

In an interview with Marc J. Spears of Andscape, Gilgeous-Alexander said the Thunder became more motivated to succeed after losing to Milwaukee in last year’s NBA Cup final. OKC was already establishing itself as one of the NBA’s elite teams, but it fell by 16 points to a veteran Bucks squad in the title game. “It definitely helped. It for sure helped. Losing in general helps all the time,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “It’s easy to learn from losing. It definitely just showed us the formula for losing. The way we played that night, we didn’t give what the game required and it showed us that. And I think that prepared us to go into the playoffs having to play for something. It showed us before the schemes, before the scouting report, before the making shots, missing shots, the personnel, you’ve got to bring a certain level of intensity, focus and fight to the game if you want a chance to win.”
One reason for this year’s improvement is the presence of Chet Holmgren, who was only available for 32 regular season games last year. Holmgren has re-invented himself on offense, observes Rylan Stiles of Sports Illustrated, becoming an efficient shooter all over the court and a reliable scorer in transition, pick-and-rolls and post-ups.
The Thunder’s dominance may make teams reluctant to go all in with trade offers for Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, suggests Kirk Goldsberry of The Ringer. Particularly for Western Conference teams, it may not make sense to mortgage their future in a major deal when OKC looks unbeatable.

Kerr, Spoelstra, Lue Top List Of NBA’s Highest-Paid Coaches

December 10th, 2025 at 4:59pm CST by Luke Adams

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr is the NBA’s highest-paid head coach, with an average annual value of $17.5MM on his current contract, according to Kurt Badenhausen of Sportico. Erik Spoelstra of the Heat and Tyronn Lue of the Clippers round out the top three at $15MM per year, Badenhausen adds.

While Kerr is the highest earner among head coaches in the short term, his deal with Golden State expires at the end of the 2025/26 season, whereas Spoelstra (eight years) and Lue (five years) signed longer-term extensions in 2024, so they’re assured of far more overall guaranteed money.

After that top three, there are several coaches in the range of $11MM annually, per Badenhausen: Doc Rivers of the Bucks, Ime Udoka of the Rockets, Joe Mazzulla of the Celtics, and Rick Carlisle of the Pacers.

The Knicks‘ Mike Brown is the only other coach with an average annual value of at least $10MM, with Mavericks coach Jason Kidd coming in at $9.5MM per year and Lakers coach JJ Redick at $9MM annually.

Interestingly, while Spoelstra, Kerr, and Lue are three of the NBA’s four longest-tenured head coaches, the other member of that group – Billy Donovan of the Bulls, the league’s third longest-tenured coach – doesn’t crack the list of top 10 salaries shared by Badenhausen.

Details on the other 20 NBA head coaches’ contracts aren’t included in Badenhausen’s report, but he notes that the lower end of coaching salaries is approximately $4MM per year. Presumably, that figure applies only to coaches who have the title permanently, rather than assistants who have received in-season promotions and are serving as interim replacements, such as James Borrego in New Orleans or Tiago Splitter in Portland.

For what it’s worth, the NBA’s estimated average salary for players in 2025/26 is $13.87MM, so just three of 30 head coaches are earning more than an average player in the league.

Atlantic Notes: Tatum, Sixers, Kolek, Hukporti

December 10th, 2025 at 3:59pm CST by Luke Adams

With the streaking Celtics having climbed to the No. 3 spot in the Eastern Conference on the strength of five consecutive wins and Jayson Tatum doing 1-on-1 work, head coach Joe Mazzulla was asked on Wednesday when conversations might begin in earnest about the possibility of the star forward returning from his Achilles tear in the coming months.

“It’s all up to him,” Mazzulla said, per Jay King of The Athletic. “At the end of the day, his health is the most important thing, his process is the most important thing. You trust him, trust the team that’s around him — he’s got a great team — and then you just kind of go from there. So it kind of just all starts (with) where him and his team think he’s at.”

While Tatum will certainly be involved in the decision on if and when he returns to the court this season, it’s not his to make alone. The Celtics’ front office and medical team, as well as Tatum’s own doctors, will be involved in determining what that plan looks like.

Mazzulla made it clear that he’s not spending much time thinking about whether or not he’ll get Tatum back in his lineup later in the season, since he appreciates the way the 27-year-old is contributing to the team even without playing in games.

“To me, the only thing I care about is his presence and his leadership, and he’s given that in different ways — on the bench for games, communicating with guys, in film sessions, traveling with us,” Mazzulla said. “At the end of the day, he’s on our team. He’s a part of our team. He’s helping us get better, and then everything else just comes down to him and the people around him, and you just trust that.”

We have more from around the Atlantic:

The Sixers need more from their centers, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer, who notes that Joel Embiid went 4-for-21 from the floor in Sunday’s loss to the Lakers, while Andre Drummond was a -15 in 18 minutes despite registering a double-double (11 points, 12 rebounds). Both big men struggled defensively against the Lakers’ duo of Deandre Ayton and Jaxson Hayes, who combined to make all eight of their shot attempts, Pompey adds.
Knicks reserve guard Tyler Kolek didn’t get off the bench during the team’s NBA Cup quarterfinal loss last season, but he used his share of the prize money to buy his mother a car, according to Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. This time around, Kolek – who has appeared in 10 consecutive games for New York – should play a more active role in determining how far the Knicks advance. He was a +13 in less than eight minutes on the court in Tuesday’s quarterfinal victory over the Raptors. Asked if his mom will be getting another car this Christmas using his NBA Cup prize money, Kolek replied, “Nope, my dad wants the next one.”
Ariel Hukporti‘s speed could be his path to an increased role with the Knicks, according to Kristian Winfield of The New York Daily News, (subscription required) who notes that head coach Mike Brown referred to Hukporti as “one of the fastest bigs I’ve ever been around.” Hukporti, who has had a limited role this fall, logged a season-high 23 minutes in Sunday’s win over Orlando, but played just 73 seconds on Tuesday vs. Toronto and was assigned to the G League on Wednesday (Twitter link).

Heat’s Pelle Larsson Out 1-2 Weeks With Ankle Sprain

December 10th, 2025 at 3:15pm CST by Luke Adams

The Heat are expecting to be without swingman Pelle Larsson for the next week or two, according to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press (Twitter link).

Larsson underwent an MRI on Wednesday after injuring his left ankle on Tuesday, per Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (Twitter link). While that MRI confirmed that Larsson suffered a sprain, it was far from a worst-case outcome. The injury will likely cost the former second-rounder no more than a handful of games, with his return timeline depending on how the ankle responds to treatment, Winderman notes.

Larsson, 24, has played an increased role for Miami in his second NBA season, averaging 8.7 points, 3.2 assists, and 2.5 rebounds in 21.9 minutes per game across 24 contests (16 starts).

While Larsson was a starter for most of November, he has seen his minutes cut back in games when both Tyler Herro and Norman Powell have been active.

As long as Herro and Powell stay healthy, the Heat’s rotation shouldn’t be significantly impacted by Larsson’s absence, but Simone Fontecchio and Keshad Johnson are among the candidates for additional minutes if either of those players misses any time before Larsson returns.

Having been eliminated from the NBA Cup on Tuesday, the Heat will play just once in the next week (on Monday vs. Toronto) before heading to Brooklyn and Boston for a back-to-back set next Thursday and Friday, so Larsson may not end up missing many games.

Pacers Among Teams Eyeing Ivica Zubac

December 10th, 2025 at 1:52pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pacers are among the teams expected to pursue Ivica Zubac this season, according to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints, who hears from sources that Indiana recently made a call to the Clippers to inquire about the veteran center.

After losing Myles Turner in free agency to the division-rival Bucks over the summer, the Pacers are deploying Isaiah Jackson, Jay Huff, and Tony Bradley in the middle this season while keeping an eye out for a potential long-term answer at the position, as ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on Tuesday.

Another Tuesday report, from NBA insider Jake Fischer, suggested that Mavericks big man Daniel Gafford is among the potential targets the Pacers have considered.

Both Gafford and Zubac are under team control for multiple seasons beyond this one, at a rate of about $18-20MM annually. That contract structure likely appeals to the Pacers, who are already carrying two maximum-salary players – Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam – and were paying Turner just under $20MM in the last year of his contract in 2024/25.

Indiana controls all of its own first-round picks and has some potential trade candidates on its roster that could be used to match Zubac’s $18.1MM cap hit, including Obi Toppin ($14MM), Bennedict Mathurin ($9.2MM), and Jarace Walker ($6.7MM), so the club could put together a viable package.

Whether the Clippers will actually be willing to entertain the idea of trading Zubac, who made the All-Defensive second team and finished second in Most Improved Player voting, remains to be seen. Fischer wrote on Tuesday that L.A. doesn’t seem inclined to part with the 28-year-old big man, while Siegel himself acknowledged last week that there are “mixed signals” about whether or not the Clippers would be open to the possibility of a Zubac trade.

In his latest article, Siegel says rival executives believe the Clippers, who are off to a 6-18 start this season, would at least have a conversation about Zubac if multiple first-round picks were on the table for him.

Monte Morris Signs With Olympiacos

December 10th, 2025 at 1:28pm CST by Dana Gauruder

December 10: Morris has officially signed with Olympiacos, the team announced in a press release.

December 9: The Greek team Olympiacos is in advanced talks with veteran NBA guard Monte Morris, according to Michalis Stefanou of Eurohoops.net.

There’s optimism from the EuroLeague club that an agreement can be reached with Morris sooner rather than later on a one-year contract. The point guard became a free agent when the Pacers waived him on Nov. 21 after he appeared in six games, averaging just 10.8 minutes per contest.

Indiana had signed Morris two weeks earlier. The Pacers originally planned to sign him to compete for a roster spot in training camp, but the deal fell through when he sustained a calf injury in late September.

The 30-year-old played 45 games (12.7 MPG) for Phoenix in 2024/25, averaging 5.2 PPG, 1.6 APG and 1.5 RPG on .426/.360/.826 shooting. He has also played for the Nuggets, Pistons and Timberwolves.

Frank Ntilikina, Saben Lee and Evan Fournier are among the former NBA players on the Olympiacos roster.

Bucks Notes: Turner, Porter, Green, Giannis

December 10th, 2025 at 12:45pm CST by Luke Adams

After dropping 10 of their last 12 games, the Bucks have had four full days off prior to Thursday’s game vs. Boston to reset and to evaluate how to reenter the Eastern Conference playoff picture without Giannis Antetokounmpo available. According to Eric Nehm of The Athletic, veteran center Myles Turner stressed on Tuesday that it’s far from being a lost season in Milwaukee.

“We are only five-and-a-half games away from the third seed, so I don’t think it’s time to panic personally; I think it’s time to be aware,” Turner said. “I think being aware and panicking are two very different things. Just aware that we’re not where we want to be, but we’re also not far away.

“With the group we have right now, I think that we’re very capable of making an extra push. But we can talk about it all we want to; it’s a matter of going out there and getting it done.”

As Nehm writes, figuring out how to get more out of Turner, whose average of 12.6 points per game is his lowest mark in five years, will be crucial if the Bucks hope to stay afloat while Antetokounmpo recovers from a calf strain. Nehm also points to forward Kyle Kuzma and guards Kevin Porter Jr. and Ryan Rollins as key figures during Giannis’ injury absence, noting that it would be a boon for Milwaukee if Porter (27.0 PPG on .581./615/.870 shooting in his past four games) can stay hot for a little longer.

Here’s more on the Bucks:

While Antetokounmpo’s return is still a ways off, the Bucks could get some reinforcements on Thursday in the form of sharpshooter A.J. Green. Although Green didn’t take part in Tuesday’s practice, head coach Doc Rivers told reporters – including Nehm (Twitter link) – that the 26-year-old could play against Boston after missing Saturday’s game due to a shoulder injury.
With trade speculation once again swirling around Antetokounmpo, the two-time MVP met with several teammates to address those rumors and to encourage them to focus on basketball rather than being distracted by outside noise, Chris Haynes said during an appearance on NBA TV (Twitter video link).
In a Substack article open to non-subscribers, Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron explores the difficult spot the Bucks find themselves in. As Gozlan details, given that they’ve traded away so many of their future draft picks and have a big chunk of dead money on their cap for the next several years, the Bucks would be under significant pressure to maximize their return in an Antetokounmpo trade if they pivot to a rebuild. Even if they extract a strong package for Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee’s front office would have its work cut out for it in the post-Giannis era, Gozlan writes.

Mavs’ Dereck Lively To Undergo Season-Ending Foot Surgery

December 10th, 2025 at 11:03am CST by Luke Adams

Dereck Lively II will undergo a procedure to address ongoing discomfort in his right foot, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania and Tim MacMahon, who report (via Twitter) that the Mavericks center will miss the rest of the season as a result of the surgery.

The Mavericks have officially confirmed the news, announcing (via Twitter) that Lively is expected to make a full recovery and be ready for training camp next fall.

It’s a brutal blow for the Mavs and especially for Lively, whose right foot has been an issue since he sustained a fracture in the foot/ankle area last January. That injury sidelined him for over two months and required him to undergo surgery in July in the hopes of fixing the issue.

Although the 21-year-old was cleared to return for opening night, he continued to be plagued by health problems, missing a nine-game stretch in October and November due to a right knee sprain, then battling nagging discomfort in his right foot. Reporting late last month indicated that the Mavs were concerned Lively would require an extended absence, with word breaking last week that he was consulting with multiple doctors about potential next steps.

According to MacMahon (Twitter link), Lively sought second and third opinions on his foot injury in the hopes of avoiding another surgery, but it was ultimately determined that another procedure would be necessary.

Injuries have been a recurring problem for Lively since he entered the NBA as the 12th overall pick in the 2023 draft. He has made only 98 regular season appearances since then, including seven in 2025/26, and has played just 2,242 total regular season minutes — as a point of comparison, 51 NBA players exceeded that total in ’24/25 alone.

When healthy, Lively has been a positive contributor, performing well enough to be viewed as Dallas’ long-term starting center. The former Duke standout has averaged 8.4 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks in 22.9 minutes per contest while shooting 72.5% from the floor. He also averaged 22.0 MPG off the bench during the Mavs’ run to the 2024 NBA Finals, contributing 7.9 PPG and 7.4 RPG across 21 postseason outings.

With Lively ruled out for the season, the Mavs will lean on Anthony Davis and Daniel Gafford in their frontcourt, though both players are considered possible trade candidates. Veteran big man Dwight Powell and two-way player Moussa Cisse are available off the bench to provide depth in the middle, with forward P.J. Washington a candidate to play some small-ball center if needed.

Lively, meanwhile, will become eligible for a rookie scale extension during the 2026 offseason, before he plays his next game. If he and the Mavericks don’t come to terms on a new deal prior to the start of the ’26/27 season, he would be on track for restricted free agency in 2027.

Dallas will likely apply for a disabled player exception in response to Lively’s injury, but it would be worth just $2,626,680 (half of Lively’s $5,253,360 salary) and wouldn’t give the team the ability to surpass its second-apron hard cap. The Mavs are currently operating roughly $1.29MM below that hard cap.