Robert Williams Expected To Return In 4-6 Weeks
9:46am: The Celtics have provided an official update on Williams, announcing that he underwent a successful partial left knee meniscectomy and confirming that he’s expected to return in about four-to-six weeks (Twitter links).
7:41am: Robert Williams underwent surgery this morning on the torn meniscus in his left knee, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, who reports that the Celtics big man is expected to return within about four-to-six weeks. There’s optimism his return could fall on the shorter end of that timeline, Wojnarowski adds (via Twitter).
While Williams will, of course, miss the rest of the regular season, there’s a chance he could play again in the postseason, especially if Boston advances to the second round. The Eastern Conference Semifinals will begin between April 30 and May 3, which is at least a month away.
As we noted when Williams was first diagnosed with a torn meniscus, the recovery timeline for the injury can vary significantly depending on the severity of the tear and how it’s treated. Jaren Jackson Jr. missed most of last season due to the injury, while James Wiseman and Collin Sexton are on similar timetables this year. However, the injury costs some players only weeks rather than months — for instance, Didi Louzada is nearing a return after undergoing meniscus surgery in early February.
A four-to-six week projection is even more aggressive than Louzada’s timeline, but it’s not out of the question. If Williams is able to make it back for the Celtics and play anywhere near the level he was at prior to the injury, it would provide a significant boost to the team’s chances of making a deep playoff run.
The Celtics have the NBA’s best record since the start of February and Williams has played a major role in their recent success, anchoring the league’s top-ranked defense and emerging as a strong candidate for an All-Defensive nod. He has averaged 10.0 PPG, 9.6 RPG, and 2.2 BPG with an impressive .736 FG% in 61 games (29.6 MPG) this season.
Williams is under contract for four more seasons beyond this one, so the Celtics will take his long-term health into account as they determine if and when he’s able to play this spring.
Jazz Notes: Slump, Mitchell, Gobert, Forrest, Hernangomez
Last Wednesday night, following a blowout loss to the Celtics, Jazz stars Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert attempted to diagnose the team’s issues and consider how to fix them, with Gobert stressing the need to “sacrifice for each other,” while Mitchell called out the Utah’s execution and energy level. As Sarah Todd of The Deseret News relayed at the time, Gobert expressed confidence that enduring some adversity would make the team better.
One week later, it seems as though the Jazz have yet to apply those lessons and turn their adversity into something positive. Defeats at the hands of the Hornets, Mavericks, and Clippers have extended their losing streak to five games, and Tuesday’s outcome in Los Angeles was especially dispiriting. In a repeat of Game 6 of last year’s Western Conference Semifinals, Utah blew a 25-point lead en route to an improbable loss.
Asked by Todd about the similarities between last year’s game and last night’s, Mitchell expressed exasperation: “I don’t know, Sarah. I don’t know. It’s the same s–t. I mean, it feels the same way. It’s the same thing. This is literally the same thing.”
Gobert offered more specific critiques of the Jazz, suggesting to reporters that the team’s ball movement, defense, and lack of physicality are among the problems he has noticed.
“Nobody hits nobody,” Gobert said, per Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune. “We don’t get our hands dirty. We never get our hands dirty. We’re a very good basketball team, but I get f— up every night, and guys are literally beating me up every night, as they should. It’s basketball, it’s a physical game. But we have to get to the point where we do that to the other team too. But teams don’t really expect that from us.
“We’re a really good basketball team, I think we have great basketball players on both ends. We just, need to figure out a way to get that mindset, to do things for each other more and do it for 48 minutes, and do it even more. And when it gets hard, we need to do it even more.”
Utah will have a good opportunity to right the ship on Thursday when the reeling Lakers – likely missing both LeBron James and Anthony Davis – come to town.
Here’s more on the Jazz:
- The good vibes that used to float around the Jazz are gone, Todd writes in an opinion piece for The Deseret News, noting that the team’s body language has been “just awful.”
- Jazz guard Trent Forrest, who left Tuesday’s game with concussion-like symptoms, has indeed been diagnosed with a concussion, tweets Tony Jones of The Athletic. The Jazz were determining late Tuesday night whether Forrest would be able to fly home with the team or if he’d require an overnight hospital stay. There was a bit of added concern because it’s Forrest’s second concussion, Jones explains.
- Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune explores the odds of Rudy Gobert winning his fourth Defensive Player of the Year award this season.
- Juan Hernangomez has been traded four times in the last year and hasn’t played much this season, but he has gotten the opportunity to start for the Jazz recently with Bojan Bogdanovic sidelined and has responded well, including on Tuesday when he scored 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting. “It’s just the business,” Hernangomez said following the loss in Charlotte last Friday, according to Walden. “As a player, you’ve got to be ready, keep working on your game. I’ve been through a lot of changes — emotionally, changing all the teams, changing all my teammates, coaches, but you’re still the same player. You’ve got to keep working on your game because if you can stay ready, the NBA’s about opportunity. And when the opportunity comes, just enjoy it and do your best.”
Michael Porter Jr. Suffered Minor Setback In Injury Rehab
Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. suffered a setback in recent weeks during his rehab process following back surgery, according to Mike Singer of The Denver Post.
A source familiar with the situation told Singer that the setback was the result of overcompensation and overwork, while another source said it was “nothing major.”
However, with time running out on the 2021/22 season, even a minor setback jeopardizes the possibility of Porter returning to action for the Nuggets. According to Singer, the team has yet to make a decision on whether or not to shut down the 23-year-old, who had hoped to make it back in March. Porter went through a shooting routine prior to Monday’s game, Singer notes.
Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports stated during a TNT broadcast last Tuesday that Porter has endured some “ups and downs” during his rehab process, which suggests the setback may have occurred before then. Haynes said at the time that Jamal Murray was closer to a return than Porter, though it remains possible that neither Nugget will play this spring.
Porter, who also missed his entire rookie season in 2018/19 due to back surgery, appeared in just nine games this season before going under the knife again. He hasn’t played since November 6.
California Notes: Fox, Sabonis, Clippers, Wiggins, Gasol
With a 27-49 record, the Kings are on track to miss any kind of NBA postseason for the 16th straight year. Sacramento currently sits at the No. 13 seed in the Western Conference, 4.5 games behind the tenth-seeded Spurs for a chance at a play-in tournament appearance. As the team’s opportunity to qualify for the play-in slips away, Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee wonders if top scorers De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis will return to the hardwood this year.
The Kings have just six games left on their schedule for the 2021/22 NBA season. Fox has missed the club’s last five games with right hand soreness, while Sabonis has sat for the last three due to a left knee bone bruise.
“Well, we’ll see,” interim head coach Alvin Gentry commented on the two Kings veterans’ availability this year. “They’re working out every day and they’re trying to get to the point where they can come back and play, so we won’t know that. It’s a day-by-day thing. I don’t know any other way to answer it but that. … Fox is on the [team’s current road] trip with us. He’s spending a lot of time working out and trying to see where it takes him.”
There’s more out of California:
- Prior to Paul George‘s return to the floor tonight against the Jazz, the Clippers have had to handle the majority of their NBA season without George or his fellow All-Star Kawhi Leonard, writes Mark Medina of NBA.com. Including tonight, George will have missed 49 of L.A.’s 76 games thus far this season, while Kawhi hasn’t played at all. The team has held steady without George and Leonard, and seems to have a firm grip on the eighth seed in the Western Conference with a 36-39 record as of this writing. “We’re building that foundation and culture that we can win, no matter who’s on the floor,” head coach Tyronn Lue said. “I think we’ve taken on that mentality.” A midseason team meeting helped steady the Clippers’ resolve. Veterans Marcus Morris and Reggie Jackson were particularly vocal during the team discussion, Medina reveals. Lue has been open to experimenting with his players this season, opting to employ 24 unique starting lineups so far.
- After making the first All-Star team — and first All-Star start — of his NBA career, Warriors swingman Andrew Wiggins has failed to step up as a scorer with his starrier veteran teammates sidelined or playing hurt, writes Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area. Instead, Wiggins has regressed. During a recent five-game road trip, the Warriors went 1-4, and Wiggins failed to take on more of the scoring load. He averaged 16.6 PPG on 41.1% field goal shooting, and coughed up the ball 2.4 times a night. “We expected more out of everybody,” starting center Kevon Looney said of the team’s performance. “I wouldn’t just put it all on him… We all had some plays and some things we would want to do better in that game, so I wouldn’t just put it on [Wiggins].”
- During a conversation on The Old Man And The Three with J.J. Redick and Tommy Alter podcast, retired six-time All-Star big man Pau Gasol said that he is weighing the possibility of an off-court position with the Warriors. “I’m exploring a potential role with a team,” Gasol said. “I’ve been going a little bit under the radar with the Warriors, and they’ve kind of opened their doors for me to come in and be part of meetings, see the guys a little bit, and talk to some of the guys.” In a legendary 18-year NBA career, the seven-footer suited up for the Grizzlies, Lakers, Bulls, Spurs and Bucks. Gasol appeared in three NBA Finals and won two titles with the Lakers.
Southwest Notes: Brooks, Bane, Murray, Zion
Grizzlies wing Dillon Brooks aimed some critical comments toward former teammate Andre Iguodala, following Memphis’s blowout 123-95 victory over Iguodala’s Warriors on Monday, as Ali Thanawalla of NBC Sports Bay Area relays.
“We all had the vision,” Brooks said in press conference remarks following the contest. “He didn’t, which is perfect. Send him back to the Warriors and let him do his thing over there.”
Iguodala famously opted against joining the Grizzlies upon being traded from Golden State to Memphis in 2019. Instead, the veteran practiced away from the club in anticipation of a trade or buy-out. The Heat would eventually trade for a package top-lined by Iguodala and Jae Crowder ahead of a 2020 NBA Finals run. Iguodala would remain with Miami until the summer of 2021, during which the three-time champion signed a one-year, veteran’s minimum deal to return to the Warriors.
“From the beginning, we were growing a base, we had a base and we kept building and building and building and more guys got on the train and we were able to create something like this and keep building this dynasty and this program up to new heights,” Brooks said of the Grizzlies, currently the West’s No. 2 seed thanks to a 53-23 record. “Just an amazing feeling to see guys grow every single year. I’ve been here the longest so I’m just happy to see each player grow in their role and to try to exceed their role, which is amazing to see.”
There’s more out of the Southwest Division:
- Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane, who has enjoyed a breakout year in Memphis, is relishing his tenure as a reserve point guard in the absence of injured All-Star Ja Morant, writes Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. Morant’s backup, Tyus Jones, has moved into a starting role. “It’s growing on me a little bit,” Bane said of running point. “At first I liked playing off the ball, but I’m starting to get more comfortable kind of figuring out my spots and where I can attack with the ball in my hands.” For the first time ever at the NBA level, the second-year guard recently notched four straight games with five assists or more.
- At 2.1 steals per game, Spurs All-Star point guard Dejounte Murray is the first San Antonio player to lead the league in steals since former Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard did so during the 2014/15 NBA season, notes Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News. “He’s got a natural ability in that area,” raved head coach Gregg Popovich said. “He reads things and sees the spatial relationships. That’s all him.” Murray himself cites his speed for this defensive skill. “I think that’s just me having quick hands, the vision of it, knowing how to time it,” Murray said. “I’m not in it to be the league leader. That’s just Dejounte trying to be active on both ends of the floor. If that helps us get wins, I’m going to continue to try and get better at it.” Thanks in large part to the play of Murray, the 31-44 Spurs have climbed their way into the Western Conference’s play-in tournament bracket as the present No. 10 seed, though they are tied by record with the Lakers.
- 2021 All-Star Pelicans forward Zion Williamson, who has missed the entire 2021/22 NBA season thus far due to a foot fracture, traveled with his teammates on a multi-game road trip for the first time this year, per Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). According to Charania, though Williamson is still indefinitely sidelined, he appears to be approving in his rehab. The 32-43 Pelicans are the West’s ninth seed even sans Williamson, and appear poised to make a play-in tournament appearance.
Lakers Health Updates: Davis, Nunn, LeBron, Gabriel
Lakers star big man Anthony Davis is aiming to return to action this weekend, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.
Davis has been shelved since spraining his right foot and MCL on February 16. He has missed 37 games for Los Angeles all told this season, including the past 17. The 6’10” big man has produced at a typically high clip this year when healthy, but his shooting numbers and defense have dipped. He is averaging 23.1 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 2.9 APG, 2.3 BPG and 1.2 SPG through his 37 healthy contests.
Sporting a 31-44 record, the Lakers currently occupy the Western Conference’s 11th seed. The team owns a record identical to that of the tenth-seeded Spurs, but the Spurs sport a better intra-conference record. Even with Davis back in the fold this weekend, an extended absence for LeBron James could doom the depth-challenged team’s play-in tournament odds.
The rest of L.A.’s schedule will not get much easier down the home stretch of the 2021/22 season. Across five of their final seven games, the Lakers will face off against four Western Conference playoff-bound teams in the Jazz, Nuggets (twice), Suns, and Warriors.
Here are a few more Lakers-related health updates:
- Haynes’ sources have informed him that combo guard Kendrick Nunn, one of just five Lakers players earning more than the minimum this year, is expected to miss the rest of the 2021/22 season. Nunn has not played a single game for Los Angeles since incurring a bone bruise in his knee during the 2021 preseason. He signed a two-year, $10MM contract with L.A. during the 2021 offseason with a player option for 2022/23. Given his health predicament, it seems likely he will pick up that option.
- According to Haynes, All-Star forward LeBron James is expected to miss his second consecutive game on Thursday after rolling his ankle during a 116-108 loss to the Pelicans on Sunday. Thursday would mark the four-time MVP’s 20th missed contest this year.
- Reserve power forward Wenyen Gabriel, who has emerged as an important role player for Los Angeles, has been listed as day-to-day going forward after suffering a left ankle sprain, tweets Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times.
Didi Louzada May Make Blazers Debut This Week
Trail Blazers wing Didi Louzada has been listed as probable to debut for Portland on Wednesday when his new team faces his former team, the Pelicans, per Andrew Lopez of ESPN (via Twitter).
Yesterday, Portland revealed that big man Jusuf Nurkic and guards Eric Bledsoe and Anfernee Simons would join star point guard Damian Lillard on the shelf for the rest of the 2021/22 NBA season as the team looks towards the future.
Since being included in the blockbuster trade that sent shooting guard CJ McCollum to the Pelicans, Louzada has been recovering from a meniscus surgery he underwent while still with New Orleans.
The second-year wing has appeared in just two games during the 2021/22 season. He could get some extended time for a tanking 27-48 Trail Blazers club hopeful to avoid a play-in tournament appearance.
The 23-year-old has had a checkered NBA run thus far. Louzada was selected with the No. 35 pick in the 2019 draft by the Hawks, before having his draft rights traded to the Pelicans. He played with the Sydney Kings of Australia’s NBL from 2019-21, then signed a contract with the Pelicans late into the 2020/21 NBA season, and appeared in three contests for New Orleans that year.
The NBA dealt Louzada a 25-game suspension due to a drug policy violation at the start of the 2021/22 season. He tore his medial meniscus in late January while playing a game for the team’s G League affiliate, the Birmingham Squadron. The 6’5″ guard would eventually have a surgical procedure to treat the ailment in February.
Brandon Knight Signs Second 10-Day Deal With Mavericks
Free agent combo guard Brandon Knight has signed his second 10-day contract with the Mavericks, the team has announced in a press release (via Twitter). The Mavs, who have a full 15-man roster, completed the signing via the COVID-related hardship exception.
The 6’2″ veteran first inked a 10-day hardship exception deal with the Mavericks in December. In three appearances for Dallas, Knight averaged 10.0 PPG, 2.7 APG and 2.3 RPG across 18.2 MPG.
Across eight NBA seasons, the 30-year-old has averaged 14.0 PPG, 4.0 APG and 3.1 RPG in 449 contests. Knight was first selected by the Pistons out of Kentucky in 2011. The well-traveled Knight has also suited up for the Bucks, Suns, Cavaliers and Rockets.
In the short term, Knight could pick up some minutes with reserve guards Sterling Brown and Trey Burke both currently in the league’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols.
Dallas is in the midst of a concerted push up the Western Conference standings. The team has gone 6-4 across its last ten games and is currently the No. 4 seed in the West with a 46-29 record, just 1.5 games behind the Warriors, who could be without All-Star point guard Stephen Curry for several more games. Knight will add veteran leadership and scoring off the bench without Brown and Burke.
Since his first 10-day deal with Dallas expired, Knight has been suiting up for the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBAGL, averaging 15.1 PPG, 4.4 APG and 3.5 RPG in 14 games.
Iowa Forward Keegan Murray Declaring For Draft
Iowa sophomore forward Keegan Murray, currently the No. 5 player on the ESPN big board, is declaring for the draft, per Jonathan Givony of ESPN.
Murray played a bench role during his freshman season, averaging 7.2 PPG across 18 MPG as the offense focused around reigning 2020 Big Ten Player of the Year Luka Garza, a senior in 2020/21. Garza was eventually selected with the No. 52 pick by the Pistons during the 2021 draft.
As a sophomore, Murray handily established himself as a lottery prospect after gaining 15 pounds and growing an inch. In 35 games in 2021/22, he averaged 23.5 PPG, 8.7 RPG and 1.9 BPG across 32 MPG, posting a stellar shooting line of .554/.398/.747. Murray was voted Big Ten Tourney MVP in leading the Hawkeyes to the 2022 Big Ten tournament title.
Givony notes that the 21-year-old is presently a candidate for 2022 John R. Wooden, Naismith and Lute Olson awards. The 6’9″ forward looks likely to slot in as a versatile addition for whichever NBA club he joins, having operated at a variety of positions for Iowa and in his high school days at Prairie High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
“Before I came to Iowa I always played on the wing,” Murray said. “This was the first time I played the 4 and 5. We were small in the Big Ten. I’ll do whatever is needed to win because of my skill-set. This year I needed to play the 5. I feel like in the NBA, I can play 2 to 5. I can adapt to any position I’m put in.”
“I’m looking forward to showing NBA teams my versatility on both ends of the court,” the 2022 consensus All-American First Teamer added. “I’m a lot more athletic than people realize. I’m as competitive a player as you’re going to get. It doesn’t show from my facial expressions, but I love the game of basketball and competing every single night was a blessing for me. I’m not worried about what spot I get drafted.”
Trey Burke Second Mavs Player To Enter Protocols
4:53pm: Burke did not make the window for his daily COVID-19 test, per head coach Jason Kidd (Twitter link via Callie Caplan of the Dallas Morning News). All unvaccinated NBA players are still being tested every day. This marks the third such instance this year that Burke has entered league protocols due to a missed test.
1:29pm: Veteran guard Trey Burke has become the second Mavericks player to enter the NBA’s health and safety protocols in recent days, joining fellow reserve Sterling Brown, the team’s PR department tweets.
As Callie Caplan of The Dallas Morning News observes (via Twitter), this is the fourth time Burke has entered the protocols this season — he had two stints in the fall for not participating in the daily testing requirement for unvaccinated players, and a third in December when he contracted COVID-19.
Coach Jason Kidd stated after Brown tested positive that the team was hoping to avoid another outbreak before the playoffs.
“That’s just part of the league. That’s just part of the world is COVID now, right? So it happens. We move forward. Next guy up,” said Kidd, per Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News (Twitter link). “We just hope that it doesn’t spread throughout the team here late in the season. But we have to be prepared that something like this could happen going forward.”
The NBA was decimated by players entering the COVID-19 protocols back in December, with a record-breaking number of 10-day contracts handed out via the updated hardship exception to keep the season afloat and mostly remain on-schedule — there were a total of 11 postponed games, and all but one (Cavs at Hawks on March 31) have since been played.
Things have been much smoother since mid-February, with Devin Booker and CJ McCollum the being the only two players to enter the health and safety protocols prior to Brown and now Burke.
Through 39 games this season in a limited role (10.7 MPG), Burke is averaging 5.3 PPG and 1.3 APG on .395/.313/.870 shooting. He holds a player option next season for $3.3MM. After beating Utah on Sunday, the Mavs (46-39) have overtaken the Jazz (45-30) for the No. 4 seed in the West.