Aaron Nesmith Enters 2020 NBA Draft
Vanderbilt guard Aaron Nesmith, a potential lottery pick, tells Evan Daniels of 247Sports that he is entering the 2020 NBA draft and intends to go pro.
“I’ve decided to go through the process and intend to hire an agent,” Nesmith said. “I’m just getting ready for the next steps and just learn even more at the highest level because it’s always been a dream to play in the NBA so it’s going to be fun to go out there and go through it.”
After playing a part-time role as a freshman, Nesmith was in the midst of a breakout sophomore year in 2019/20 before a stress fracture in his right foot brought his season to an early end in January. In 14 games (35.7 MPG), he averaged 23.0 PPG and 4.9 RPG with an impressive .512/.522/.825 shooting line.
While NBA teams will want more medical info on his injured foot, Nesmith tells Daniels that he expects to get out of his walking boot within the next couple weeks and be cleared for live action in May. The standout sophomore, who ranks ninth overall on 247Sports’ big board and 17th on ESPN’s top 100, projects to be one of the best outside shooters in this year’s draft class.
“I think I can help whatever team that wants me or takes me I can help them immediately and be an immediate impact on the floor just by helping to spread the floor for the play-makers and creators and help give them more space,” Nesmith said. “I think that’s an immediate threat I can impose to opposing teams.”
Xavier’s Naji Marshall Declares For NBA Draft
Xavier’s Naji Marshall is entering his name in the 2020 NBA draft pool, according to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports, who reports (via Twitter) that the junior forward is testing the waters and keeping his options open.
Marshall, 22, averaged 16.8 PPG, 6.3 RPG, and 4.0 APG in 31 games (35.7 MPG) for Marshall in 2019/20. He has struggled with his shooting efficiency, however, posting a .420 FG% and .281 3PT% over his last two seasons.
While he’s a candidate to be selected, Marshall isn’t a lock to come off the board in the 2020 draft. ESPN currently has him ranked 71st overall on its big board.
Marshall also tested the draft waters a year ago before opting not to go pro. If he doesn’t like the feedback he gets during this year’s pre-draft process, he could return to college for one final season before becoming draft-eligible in 2021.
Dotson Expected To Draw Interest From Jazz, Bucks, Warriors
The Jazz, Bucks, and Warriors are among the teams expected to show interest in Damyean Dotson when he becomes a free agent this offseason, sources tell Marc Berman of The New York Post.
Dotson, who will turn 26 in May, has spent his first three NBA seasons with the Knicks, appearing in 165 games and averaging 7.8 PPG on .419/.361/.721 shooting in 20.1 minutes per contest. Because he only has three years of experience, he can be made a restricted free agent at season’s end if the Knicks give him a qualifying offer worth just over $2MM.
However, as Berman notes, it’s unclear whether New York will make an effort to re-sign Dotson to a new deal. The new management group isn’t the one that drafted him, and he had fallen out of the rotation prior to the NBA’s hiatus, appearing in just one of the Knicks’ last nine games.
“That seemed (to be) the writing on the wall,” one NBA scout told Berman. “You’d think they’d be still trying to develop him.”
Former Knicks head coach David Fizdale, who lauded Dotson’s “work ethic, leadership qualities, and toughness,” also praised the youngster’s willingness to be coached and expressed to Berman that the 6’5″ wing has a promising NBA future.
“He’s a game shooter and improved his handle and as a finisher,” Fizdale said. “He’s a good rebounding guard, but he still has to improve defensive awareness on the weak side. Overall he’s a solid NBA player.”
Karl-Anthony Towns’ Father Also Tests Positive For COVID-19
Karl-Anthony Towns recently shared the news about his mother contracting the coronavirus, revealing that she has been hospitalized for the past week and in a coma. Towns’ father also tested positive for the virus, Malika Andrews of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link). Karl Sr. is reportedly “recovering well” after a multi-day stay in the hospital, Andrews adds.
“I was told early last week my parents weren’t feeling well,” Towns said (via his Instagram). “My first reaction to her was to go seek medical attention immediately. There’s no reason to wait, just go to the nearest hospital. And after a couple days of not showing any signs of improvement, I was very adamant on the first day to go to a hospital and seek further evaluation.
“Specifically, my sister told her she needs to get checked for corona. I don’t think anyone really understood what it was, with deteriorating condition. She kept getting worse, she kept getting worse, and the hospital was doing everything they can.”
Towns said he was in constant contact with his mother before she was put into the medically induced coma.
“This disease needs to not be taken lightly,” Towns said. “Please protect your families, your loved ones, your friends, yourself. Practice social distancing. Please don’t be in places with a lot of people; it just heightens your chances of getting this disease, and this disease … it’s deadly. It’s deadly. And we’re going to keep fighting on my side, me and my family, we’re going to keep fighting this. We’re going to beat it. We’re going to win.”
Hoops Rumors sends its thoughts and prayers to the Towns family and all those who have been impacted by COVID-19.
Dwight Powell Talks Recovery, Mavs’ Organization
Mavericks big man Dwight Powell, who continues to recover from the torn right Achilles he suffered back in January, tells Callie Caplin of the Dallas Morning News that “everything is on schedule” with regard to his recovery, adding that the coronavirus precautions are not impacting his rehab.
“Luckily it’s nothing I can’t do from home for now,” Powell explained. “I have a couple more months of really not too much, so I have everything I need here. The Mavs set me up with all the equipment, which there isn’t much of, to keep on track, and they’re checking in with me daily, so things are going good.”
Powell added that he remains in contact with the team’s medical staff via FaceTime, checking in every day. He said communication between him and his teammates has been solid.
“I think we’re doing a good job of reaching out on a daily and every-other-day basis with everybody, and we’ve got a group chat that’s pretty active and is light, humorous,” the big man said.
While the Mavericks remain away from their facility, the franchise is doing its best to help the community that is impacted as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Powell credited Dallas’ leadership for how responsive the organization has been.
“That’s something I was taught and shown from Day 1 getting here from Mark [Cuban] and from Coach [Rick] Carlisle and from Dirk [Nowitzki], especially, at that time when he was here,” Powell said of the organization setting a high standard for giving back to the community. “They set the stage for that, so it doesn’t surprise any of us at all to see the leadership role that Mark has taken in this situation, the example that he’s set and the guidance he’s given all of us in how we can help as well.
“…We can’t be out there on the front lines, so those heroes that are doing the real work and the ones that are trying to get us back to normalcy, those are the ones who really need support, and I think that was one area that was being a little bit overlooked.”
Fizdale Believes Knicks Need To Add Power Forward With Range
Although they did win two of three before the NBA suspended the season, the Knicks weren’t having the best 2019/20 campaign. Former coach David Fizdale, who New York fired back in December, believes the team can improve via free agency this offseason by targeting a point guard and a power forward with range.
“I think that if the Knicks can find those pieces in free agency,” Fizdale said on ESPN Radio recently (h/t Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News). “So the next year or two years from now, that big free agent comes through says, ‘Wait a minute, they got these pieces in place, these guys are now starting to get into the playoffs, eighth seed, seventh seed.
That’s the team I want to join in New York City, in the Garden, that could take us to another level.’”
Three-point shooting has been an issue for the club this entire season. Only three teams, the Hawks, Warriors, and Timberwolves, shot a worse percentage from three-point land than the Knicks this year.
“Just looking at the roster where they’re at — I love Elfrid (Payton), Frank (Ntilikina), and Dennis Smith Jr. — but all of them have something in common in that they’re not consistent 3-point shooters coming off the pick-and-roll,”
The coach added that he believes Mitchell Robinson can reach great heights if he continues to develop.
“And if you have a super talent like Mitchell — and I think Mitchell can end up being one of the best centers over the next ten years — you have to have a guy coming off that pick and if you have to fight over that pick and roll,” Fizdale said. “And if you do that, all of a sudden Mitchell Robinson looks totally different. And his production goes up big time.
“The other piece to that puzzle is a 4-man who can really rope that 3… Like I’ve always said, the key to player development is spacing. You want to see players look better on the court, spread the floor.”
Knicks Likely To Guarantee Bullock’s 2020/21 Salary
Of the four Knicks veterans with $1MM partial guarantees on their contracts for 2020/21, none has a more modest overall salary than Reggie Bullock ($4.2MM). Given that manageable cap hit, the club will likely pick up Bullock’s “option” rather than waiving him before his salary guarantee date, a source tells Marc Berman of The New York Post.
As Berman explains, interim head coach Mike Miller “fell in love” with Bullock’s basketball IQ, perimeter defense, and outside shooting, sticking with the veteran even when fans wanted him to pivot to giving younger players more minutes.
The Knicks will likely hire a new head coach at season’s end and there’s no guarantee that Miller’s replacement will be as attached to Bullock. However, $4.2MM is a pretty fair price to pay for a 29-year-old three-and-D wing and the team will be seeking shooters and “solid veteran influences” for next year’s roster, according to Berman, who notes that Bullock had a positive impact on younger Knicks like RJ Barrett.
Taj Gibson ($9.45MM), Wayne Ellington ($8MM), and Elfrid Payton ($8MM) each have $1MM partial guarantees on their salaries for 2020/21 as well, and Bobby Portis ($15.75MM) has a team option. New York figures to move on from one or more of those players, particularly if the team wants to make use of cap space during the 2020 offseason.
Community Shootaround: Rookie Of The Year Ballot
Earlier this week, we asked you for your hypothetical 2019/20 NBA ballot, based on the possibility that the regular season is essentially over. Today, we’re shifting our focus to another one of the NBA’s major end-of-season awards: Rookie of the Year.
Entering the season, No. 1 pick Zion Williamson was viewed as the overwhelming favorite for the Rookie of the Year award. However, health issues delayed Williamson’s NBA regular-season debut until January 22, and the Pelicans forward ultimately only appeared in 19 games.
Williamson was as good as advertised in those games, averaging 23.6 PPG, 6.8 RPG, and 2.2 APG on 58.9% shooting in just under 30 MPG. However, it’s tough to put the former Duke star atop any Rookie of the Year ballot, considering he didn’t even reach the 20-game threshold. Joel Embiid, who appeared in 31 games in 2016/17, didn’t earn ROY honors either, and he wasn’t up against a competitor like Ja Morant, who looks like the overwhelming favorite to take home the award in 2020.
Morant, the No. 2 overall pick in last year’s draft, filled up the box score by recording 17.6 PPG, 6.9 APG, and 3.5 RPG on .491/.367/.770 shooting in 30.0 minutes per contest. He put up those numbers while starting 59 games for the Grizzlies and leading the overachieving squad to a No. 8 seed in the Western Conference.
Zach Harper of The Athletic writes that “it feels impossible” to give this year’s Rookie of the Year award to anyone besides Morant, while Dan Devine of The Ringer refers to the former Murray State standout as “the no-doubt-about-it pick” for the trophy. ESPN’s analysts agreed — all 70 straw poll respondents placed Morant atop their ballots.
Although Morant seems like a lock for the actual award, it’s still worth exploring how you’d fill out the rest of your three-man ballot.
Despite his small sample, Williamson earned 51 second-place votes from ESPN’s panel, and placed second on Harper’s list too. However, Devine left Zion off his ballot entirely, opting for Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke and Raptors guard Terence Davis instead, pointing to a series of impressive advanced stats to make his case for the two less heralded rookies.
Heat guard Kendrick Nunn deserves consideration as well — he placed third on ESPN’s list and on Harper’s ballot. Warriors big man Eric Paschall and Knicks forward RJ Barrett earned honorable mentions from Harper and at least one second-place vote apiece from ESPN’s voters. Bulls guard Coby White, Hornets forward PJ Washington, Wizards forward Rui Hachimura, and Heat sharpshooter Tyler Herro were among the players receiving third-place votes from ESPN’s panel.
What do you think? Can you make a case for anyone besides Morant as this season’s Rookie of the Year? Were Williamson’s 19 games enough to earn him a spot on your ballot? Who would your top three picks be for the 2020 Rookie of the Year award?
Head to the comment section below to share your thoughts!
Karl-Anthony Towns’ Mother In Coma Due To COVID-19
In a video posted to YouTube on Tuesday evening, Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns provided an emotional account of the health issues his mother Jacqueline Cruz is facing, as she has been hospitalized with COVID-19 symptoms.
While Towns didn’t explicitly say in the video that his mother has tested positive for the coronavirus, the Wolves confirmed that diagnosis to ESPN’s Malika Andrews. According to Towns, who had to pause to compose himself throughout the video, his mother is in a medically induced coma and had to be put on a ventilator.
“She’s been in a medically induced coma,” Towns said. “Since that day (when she was put into a coma), I haven’t talked to her, haven’t been able to obviously communicate with her. I’ve just been getting updates on her condition. It’s rough, and day by day we’re just seeing how it goes. We’re being positive; I’m being very positive. So I’m just keeping the strength up for everybody and my family.”
Towns, who made a $100K donation to the Mayo Clinic to aid the coronavirus response and testing process even before his mother got sick, explained that he shared his story because he feels it’s important that “everyone understands the severity of what’s happening in the world right now with the coronavirus.” He also expressed hope that his mother will recover.
“Dominican women are strong. I know they are,” Towns said. “My mother is one of the strongest women I know and I know she’ll beat this. We’re going to rejoice when she does.”
We wish Towns and his family the best in this difficult time.
How Olympic Postponement May Impact NBA, Team USA
Tokyo and the International Olympic Committee announced on Tuesday that the 2020 Olympics have been postponed until sometime in 2021. As a result, the NBA no longer has to consider the possibility of overlapping with the Games if the league resume its 2019/20 season this summer.
However, the potential dates for the 2020/21 NBA season and the rescheduled Tokyo Olympics remain very much up in the air. As such, there’s no guarantee that we’ll see the ’20/21 campaign end in June and the Olympics begin on July 24, which was the plan for this year before the coronavirus crisis worsened.
Here’s what we know so far about the impact the Olympic postponement might have on the NBA and Team USA specifically:
- USA Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo and head coach Gregg Popovich had only been committed to the program through 2020, but that commitment will now extend to 2021, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst confirms. “We’re all-in and we’re committed,” Colangelo said. “It’s important to deal with the unknowns and this virus. This too shall pass, and we’ll be back for everyone’s well-being.”
- Within that Windhorst story, Colangelo says USA Basketball will adjust if NBA players aren’t available for the rescheduled Olympics, but points out that changing the window for the NBA season or the Olympics would be a significant undertaking. “Changing the window for the NBA is easier said than done. There’s a lot of logistics and contracts to deal with,” Colangelo said. “Same for the Olympics. You have to assume it will be around the same dates (in 2021).”
- As Windhorst and Tim Bontemps of ESPN note in a Q&A on the rescheduled Olympics, it’s possible Team USA will no longer be able to send its top players as a result of the postponement. However, it’s also possible that players like Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving – who may not have been ready to go for the 2020 Games – will be healthy and available to participate by the time USA Basketball finalizes its roster in 2021.
- Joe Ingles, who will represent Australia in the Tokyo Olympics, said he’d be disappointed if a schedule conflict prevent him from playing for the Boomers, as Joe Vardon of The Athletic relays. “I do understand that the NBA and the Utah Jazz pay my salary and it’s really good money and I’m obviously obligated to be here (in the NBA),” Ingles said. “I absolutely love playing for Australia and would do anything to keep playing for Australia, representing my country. We obviously don’t really know what that looks like yet. I hope (the NBA season and the Olympics) don’t clash.”