Southwest Notes: Wells, Rockets, Champagnie, Pelicans
Although he has fallen to fourth in the betting odds for Rookie of the Year, Grizzlies wing Jaylen Wells has “exceeded expectations” in his first NBA season, according to head coach Taylor Jenkins, who says Wells’ consistency has “blown us away,” per Mark Medina of Sportskeeda.
Fellow rookies Stephon Castle, Alex Sarr, and Zaccharie Risacher have surpassed Wells in terms of scoring and may finish ahead of him in Rookie of the Year voting. However, Jenkins insists that Wells’ all-around impact for a team positioned to make the playoffs shouldn’t be overlooked. The former Washington State standout has handled challenging defensive assignments and knocked down 35.6% of his three-pointers as a complementary option on offense.
“It’s impact on winning,” Jenkins said, according to Medina. “Obviously, we still have a lot more basketball left in the season to see where this team is going to end up. But he’s kind of entrenched himself in First Team All-Rookie for sure. Everyone is going to look at the stat lines, this, that and the other. But his opportunity, he’s playing a unique role where he’s not one of the featured guys offensively. But he’s got great offensive numbers.”
Wells, who spoke at length to Medina about his rookie season and how much he enjoys guarding the top scorers on opposing teams, said that the Rookie of the Year award is “not really something I’m striving for.”
“When you’re on a team like this that has an opportunity to win a championship like this, that’s the main goal,” Wells said. “That’s the end-of-the-season award that I’m looking forward to — a championship. If it happens while playing winning basketball, then I would love to have that (Rookie of the Year) award. But it’s not the number one goal on my list.”
We have more from around the Southwest:
- The Rockets‘ twin-tower lineup featuring Alperen Sengun and Steven Adams has been remarkably successful and could come in handy during the postseason this spring, writes Kelly Iko of The Athletic. Through 117 minutes across 17 games, lineups featuring the two centers have an outstanding +33.3 net rating and a 50.0% offensive rebounding rate. “It’s been real big for us,” forward Jabari Smith Jr. said. “I see the numbers on it are crazy. When we get a shot with that offense, it’s almost a 50 percent chance that we’re going to get a rebound, especially with me in there too — I’m crashing too. It’s a great staple. And then with the zone, you got three almost 6-(foot)-10-plus people out there. It’s tough. It’s a good wrinkle we found. I’m glad we found it.”
- Spurs forward Julian Champagnie spoke to Grant Afseth of Sportskeeda about how he’s grown in in his second full season in San Antonio, the impact that veteran leaders Chris Paul and Harrison Barnes have had on him, and what has most impressed him about teammates Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle, among other topics.
- Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron (Substack link) previews the Pelicans‘ offseason, explaining why he views CJ McCollum as a stronger candidate to be extended than traded and touching on several other decisions facing the team, including whether to entertain trading Zion Williamson and whether to retain head coach Willie Green.
Lonzo Ball On Track To Return Before End Of Season
Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball has been out since February 28 due to a sprained right wrist and isn’t ready to return quite yet, but he still intends to make it back before the end of the regular season, tweets Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune.
Ball took part in a 5-on-5 scrimmage at the Bulls’ practice on Wednesday (Twitter video link via Poe) and was “upbeat and optimistic” afterwards when he spoke to reporters, according to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network (Twitter link).
The expectation is that Ball will need another week to get his conditioning back up to speed. Poe suggests that next Friday’s game against Portland might be a target date for his return.
Ball returned to action last fall after having been sidelined for more than two-and-a-half years due to a series of knee problems. Given how long he was away from the game, it has been a successful comeback season in 2024/25 for the 27-year-old, who has averaged 7.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.3 steals in 22.2 minutes per game across 35 outings (14 starts). The Bulls have posted a +5.5 net rating when he’s on the court, compared to a -4.8 mark when he’s not.
Although the knee injury hasn’t been a problem for Ball this season, his wrist has been a recurring issue. He missed 15 straight games in October and November due to a right wrist sprain, so this is his second extended absence this season as a result of that same injury.
According to Poe and Johnson (Twitter links), Ball has been experiencing pain during his shooting follow-through all season and doesn’t expect his wrist to be pain-free until he gets the opportunity for a longer recovery period during the offseason.
While Ball entered the season on an expiring contract, he signed an extension with Chicago last month and now has a guaranteed $10MM salary for next season, followed by a $10MM team option in 2026/27.
Sixers Sign Phillip Wheeler To 10-Day Deal
2:07 pm: Wheeler’s 10-day deal with the Sixers is now official, the club announced in a press release.
1:58 pm: The Sixers intend to sign G League forward Phillip Wheeler to a 10-day contract, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
Wheeler, who went undrafted in 2022, has spent the last few years playing in the G League and the Puerto Rican league. He has appeared in a total of 38 NBAGL games this season for the Texas Legends and Maine Celtics, averaging 15.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.0 steal in 28.2 minutes per contest, with a shooting line of .495/.365/.612.
Wheeler should have a good opportunity to make his NBA debut for a banged-up Sixers team that has awarded rotation roles to several young prospects, two-way players, and 10-day signees in recent weeks.
Chuma Okeke, who averaged 24.4 minutes per game across seven outings with Philadelphia, had his second 10-day contract with the team come to an end on Tuesday night, which will create a roster slot for Wheeler.
Technically, the 76ers have a full 15-man standard roster, but due to all their injured players, they’ve qualified for multiple hardship exceptions as of late and figure to use another one to bring Wheeler aboard. Forward Marcus Bagley is also currently on a 10-day hardship deal with Philadelphia.
Wheeler will earn $66,503 over the course of his 10-day contract and will be eligible for the Sixers’ next five games if the signing is officially completed on Wednesday.
Suns Notes: Beal, Gillespie, Allen, Plumlee
Suns guard Bradley Beal, who is dealing with a left hamstring strain, will miss his fifth consecutive game on Wednesday vs. Boston, as Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic relays (Twitter video link).
According to head coach Mike Budenholzer, who spoke to reporters on Tuesday, Beal has yet to take part in any 5-on-5 scrimmages but is doing on-court workouts and moving through the necessary steps in his recovery process: “He’s ramping up his court work. We feel like he’s making good progress. … The next few days are big. We’ll just see how he progresses each day.”
As Rankin writes for The Arizona Republic, the Suns are riding a four-game winning streak with Beal on the shelf. The team is leaning more on Kevin Durant and Devin Booker for scoring and play-making while surrounding those two stars with more defensive-minded role players.
Obviously, when he gets healthy, Beal will have a spot in the rotation, Rankin writes, but it remains to be seen what exactly that role will look like. Phoenix has been thriving with younger guards like Collin Gillespie and Ryan Dunn doing the “dirty work” next to Booker in the backcourt, so the team may ask him to slot into a similar role.
Here’s more out of Phoenix:
- The Suns have been playing a fun style of basketball during their current four-game winning streak and have finally looked like the team that got off to an 8-1 start in the fall, according to Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports, who considers whether Phoenix has turned a corner and whether or not it has happened too late in the season to make a difference.
- The Suns are aware that they’ll need to waive a player from their 15-man standard roster in order to promote Gillespie from his two-way contract in order to make him postseason-eligible, Budenholzer said on Tuesday. However, the Suns’ coach said the team hasn’t discussed that scenario yet (Twitter link via Rankin). Since Gillespie won’t reach his active game limit before the end of the regular season, Phoenix doesn’t need to make a roster decision for at least a couple more weeks.
- Grayson Allen returned to action on Monday vs. Milwaukee after missing six games due to a foot strain he described as “frustrating,” per Bourguet (Twitter video link). “Took me longer than I thought (to recover),” Allen said. The veteran wing contributed three points and a pair of rebounds in 12 minutes against the Bucks.
- Suns center Mason Plumlee was also available on Monday after being inactive for two games due to a left quad strain, but he didn’t see any action. Plumlee said ahead of the Bucks game that an MRI on the quad revealed a “small tear” and he was advised to sit out for seven-to-10 days to avoid making it worse (Twitter video link via Rankin).
Will Hardy Rips Jazz After 37-Point Loss
Hosting the Grizzlies in Utah on Tuesday, the Jazz entered halftime with a one-point lead but fell apart in the third quarter and ultimately lost the game by a score of 140-103. After Utah was outscored 76-38 and outrebounded 33-8 by Memphis in the second half, head coach Will Hardy ripped into his team during his post-game media session, as Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune relays.
“I’ve talked a lot about how we carry ourselves meaning something to me, and those words are not hollow,” Hardy said. “That second half was really disappointing, and it’s not representative of who we want to be as an organization. It’s not representative of who I want us to be.
“There are very few times where I’ve been disappointed in our group, and tonight I’ll drive home disappointed. But we have to all wake up tomorrow and get back to work. And it is one game. It is one half. I understand that, and I’ll get some sleep and wake up tomorrow with perspective. But during the game, perspective’s for the birds. The lights are on, you’re competing. You’re representing an organization, representing a fan base, our community. That was just unacceptable.”
Rookie forward Cody Williams (0-for-6, -26 in 18 minutes), second-year guard Keyonte George (0-for-4, -19 in nine minutes), and second-year forward Brice Sensabaugh (0-for-2, -22 in 10 minutes) were among the Jazz youngsters who struggled in the second half of the blowout loss to Memphis. It was hardly just on them though — all 11 players who saw the court in the third and fourth quarters had a plus/minus of -10 or worse during their minutes.
While Hardy didn’t single out any specific members of the Jazz in his comments to reporters, he noted that “a lot of our young players are getting the chance to play” in games down the stretch and said he wants those players to recognize that their opportunities shouldn’t be taken lightly. He also called for his team to play less selfishly and take more accountability.
“Pass the mother—-ing ball,” Hardy said when asked for specifics on what he wanted to see from his players. “Run back on defense. When it’s time to communicate what we’re doing on defense, you should do it at a volume louder than I’m talking to you right now. When there is a loose ball, you need to want it more than the other team. You are a member of a team. This is not about you. This is not a personal workout for you.”
As Larsen notes, while Hardy is right that the Jazz should be playing as hard as they can, the front office has put its coaching staff and players in a bad position by making it clear with its actions that winning games isn’t a top priority in the second half of the season. It’s difficult, Larsen continues, to ask players to give it their all when the organization has gone into full-fledged tanking mode and isn’t leading by example.
After Tuesday’s loss, Utah has a 16-57 record on the season and has dropped 13 of its past 14 games.
Still, Hardy is doing his best to push his players to compete harder during the final stretch of the season and to play a more selfless game, telling reporters that when “you make everything about yourself” it becomes an “infection” that affects the rest of the team.
“I understand that one game and one half shouldn’t be something that any of us overreact to,” Hardy said, per Larsen. “But you put a lot of time and energy into it, a lot of thought into it, a lot of emotional energy into it, and it’s disappointing sometimes when you don’t feel like people are pouring into themselves and understanding the opportunity that they have.
“I don’t pretend to have all the answers. I’m a young coach. I’m still figuring a lot out. It’s my 15th year in the NBA, and I’ve seen a lot of players make it and I’ve seen a lot of guys behave in a way that if they could go back in time, they’d take it back. I thought we played like a team for about a half, and then it looked like a pickup game at Lifetime Fitness, where we just all met 10 seconds ago, and we’re all just kind of out here trying to get a workout.”
Mavs’ Kessler Edwards Reaches Active Game Limit
As expected, the Mavericks activated Kessler Edwards for Tuesday’s game against the Knicks. With Anthony Davis sitting out the second end of the back-to-back after returning from his adductor injury on Monday, Edwards earned the start in Dallas’ frontcourt and played 19 minutes in the 15-point loss.
While Edwards has seen action in just 40 games this season, he has been a DNP-CD in 10 others, meaning he has now reached the limit of 50 active regular season games for a player on a two-way contract.
[RELATED: Hoops Rumors Glossary: Two-Way Contract]
In order to play in any additional games this spring for Dallas, Edwards would need to be signed to a standard contract and promoted to the 15-man roster. That’s what the Kings did last week with rookie big man Isaac Jones after he reached his 50-game limit.
However, that’s not an option right now for the Mavericks with Edwards due to their lack of flexibility below the first-apron hard cap. With only about $51K in breathing room under that cap, Dallas can’t fill the 15th spot on its roster until at least April 10, since a minimum-salary deal carries a cap hit of nearly $12K per day.
Edwards has registered modest averages of 4.2 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 15.2 minutes per game across his 40 total outings for Dallas this season. But he has played a far more significant role since Davis went down with his injury on February 8. In 17 games since then, the 6’7″ forward has made 15 starts and averaged 8.2 PPG, 4.5 RPG, and 1.7 APG with a .538/.486/.900 shooting line in 24.5 MPG.
Given his importance to the banged-up Mavericks, Edwards is a strong candidate to be promoted during the final week of the season, though the club may have decisions to make on their other two-way players at that point as well. Point guard Brandon Williams is down to just two active games remaining, while center Kai Jones could play in up to seven more. The 35-38 Mavs have nine more games on their regular season schedule.
The Mavs could theoretically promote two – or even all three – of their two-way players to standard contracts if they wait until the last day or two of the regular season to do so, but elevating more than one of them would mean waiving one or more of their current 14 players. It may not make sense for the team to go that route, especially if Dereck Lively (right ankle stress fracture) and Daniel Gafford (right knee sprain) are able to return from their own injuries by that point.
Dallas’ position in the play-in race by that point also figures to be a major factor in any roster decisions — making Edwards, Williams, and/or Jones available for the postseason by promoting them to the 15-man roster wouldn’t be necessary if the team is eliminated from contention. In that scenario, the decision on that 15th roster spot could come down to which player the Mavs can sign to a team-friendly multiyear deal.
In the meantime, Edwards is permitted to continue practicing with the Mavericks after reaching his 50-game limit, notes ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link). That will also be the case for Williams and/or Jones if and when they run out of games.
Raptors Sign Cole Swider To 10-Day Contract
The Raptors have filled the open spot on their 15-man roster by signing forward Cole Swider to a 10-day contract, the team announced today in a press release.
Swider, who was in camp with the Pacers last fall, signed a two-way contract with the Pistons at the start of the regular season and was waived in January. He has spent most of the season in the G League, first with the Motor City Cruise and more recently with the South Bay Lakers, who traded for his rights last month.
In 31 total outings for those two NBAGL clubs, Swider has averaged 21.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 34.6 minutes per game, with an excellent shooting line of .482/.442/.952.
An undrafted free agent out of Syracuse in 2022, Swider has played in the NBA for at least some of each of his first three professional seasons, appearing in seven games with the Lakers as a rookie, 18 with the Heat last year, and two with the Pistons this season.
Swider will be taking the roster spot that was previously occupied by center Colin Castleton. Castleton’s second 10-day contract with Toronto expired overnight and the team would’ve had to sign him to a rest-of-season deal in order to keep him on the roster. Castleton appeared in 10 games as a Raptor, averaging 6.9 points and 7.4 rebounds in 25.9 minutes per contest.
Swider will earn $119,972 on his 10-day deal, with the Raptors carrying an identical cap hit. The contract will run through Friday, April 4, covering the club’s next six games.
Cavs Players, Atkinson Advocate For Mobley As DPOY
Since Warriors forward Draymond Green made his case a week ago for this season’s Defensive Player of the Year award, the betting odds have swung significantly in his favor. Green is the new frontrunner for Defensive Player of the Year honors at most sportsbooks, including BetOnline.ag, taking over the top spot from Evan Mobley.
In the view of Mobley’s Cavaliers teammates, those oddsmakers have it wrong.
“Evan was the favorite but then we lost four games in a row and you guys changed it up,” big man Tristan Thompson told Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscription required). “Draymond is the favorite now, right? Draymond is a Hall of Famer and he is the anchor for their defense as well. But he has won Defensive Player of the Year. It’s Evan’s turn. I’ve heard rumblings about maybe (Thunder wing) Lu Dort. Yeah, we’re going for Evan in here. We are the No. 1 team in the East. Defensively, we are up there in the top 10 and no one can consistently score on him, so that’s who my vote is for.”
Thompson, advising award voters not to “f–k it up,” made it clear that Mobley’s case for DPOY is about more than just it being “his turn” to be recognized.
“He is the key for us defensively,” Thompson said. “Able to guard one through five. Alters shots. Blocks shots. In the passing lanes. Rule of verticality. Switches onto guards. He is able to do so much at that end of the court. Like I’ve always said, he is a young Anthony Davis. Ev is a nightmare defensively.”
Cavaliers guard Darius Garland agreed, suggesting that Mobley as this season’s Defensive Player of the Year should be a “no-brainer” pick for voters.
“He’s definitely the best defender in the league by far. Switching onto guards and bigs,” Garland said. “… He’s gotten robbed out of a couple awards already. I don’t want him to be robbed out of this one too. He’s deserving of it. He’s been doing it for three years now. He hasn’t gotten an award yet. I think it’s time the league gives him the recognition he deserves.”
As Fedor writes, Mobley has a strong statistical case for the award. He ranks sixth in the NBA in total blocked shots and third in contested shots per game and is in the top 20 in categories like defensive win shares, defensive box plus-minus, defensive rating, defensive rebound percentage, and defensive estimated plus-minus.
As head coach Kenny Atkinson points out, Mobley’s on/off court numbers also reflect the impact he has on that end of the court. The Cavs’ overall defensive rating for the season is a solid 111.4, good for eighth in the NBA. With Mobley on the court, that number improves to 107.7, which would make Cleveland the No. 2 defensive team in the league (and No. 1 in the East) by a comfortable margin.
“It’s just one simple stat — how we’re rated defensively with him on the court and then without him,” Atkinson told Fedor. “(President of basketball operations) Koby (Altman) always says this. He impacts winning and defense at a level he’s never seen and he has done it since he’s been in the league. This is not to put down any of the other candidates, he has won and leads a top 10 defense. Usually that lines up with Defensive Player of the Year.”
Besides Green and Mobley, other potential candidates for Defensive Player of the Year include Dort, Hawks guard Dyson Daniels, Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr. Those players will have an opportunity during the final two-and-a-half weeks of the regular season to make their final on-court arguments for recognition, though Mobley said he has no intention of altering his approach to try to strengthen his DPOY case.
“All the guys believe in me, and I believe in myself,” Mobley told Fedor. “I’m not going to change or do anything different. Just be myself. I feel like the numbers and the things that aren’t necessarily tracked, I feel like I play a big part in those things. Some guys won’t even take shots just because I’m down there. I’m going to keep going out there and playing the best defense I can and hopefully I get the award.”
Injury/Health Notes: Lillard, Tatum, Jokic, Sheppard
After initially being listed as out last week due to calf soreness, Damian Lillard was experiencing discomfort and pain inconsistent with a typical calf strain, according to Eric Nehm and Sam Amick of The Athletic, who hear from a source that the Bucks guard sought clarity on the cause.
That prompted a “rigorous discovery process” that ultimately involved Lillard meeting with five of the country’s top hematologists, either in person or via Zoom, with each of those specialists receiving his MRIs and sonograms. Lillard, who was diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis in his calf, began taking blood thinners last Friday, per The Athletic’s source, and the early indications are that the treatment is working well.
In a separate story for The Athletic, Nehm explores how the Bucks will get by without Lillard, noting that leaning on defense is probably their best path forward. That effort begins with having a strong perimeter defender like Ryan Rollins starting in place of Lillard.
“Obviously, nobody is going to be Dame but Dame,” Bucks center Brook Lopez said earlier this week. “But (Rollins) has done a great job coming in, being himself and finding a niche, that like Dame, only he can do. It’s specifically Ryan. He comes out there and he makes a difference in his way. He gets into guys, defends them full-court, picks up 94 feet.”
Here are a few more injury-related notes from around the NBA:
- The Celtics‘ injury report for Wednesday’s game in Phoenix is another sign that Jayson Tatum‘s ankle injury isn’t significant. Tatum isn’t expected to play vs. the Suns, but he hasn’t officially been ruled out yet — he’s listed as doubtful (Twitter link).
- Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, who has missed the team’s past five games, has been upgraded to doubtful for Wednesday’s matchup with Milwaukee (Twitter link via DNVR Sports). Jokic’s initial injury report designation last week indicated he was dealing with both a right elbow contusion and a left ankle impingement, but only the ankle issue is still listed, which suggests the elbow is no longer a problem.
- Rockets rookie Reed Sheppard, out since March 6 with a fracture in his right thumb, had a scan on Sunday that showed good calcification around the fractured bone, according to head coach Ime Udoka, who said on Tuesday that Sheppard would be reevaluated in four or five days. Sheppard is still wearing a splint on the thumb part-time, but he takes it off when he works out, per Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).
NBA Team Owners To Review Proposed European League
March 26: An NBA spokesperson tells Sportico that while team owners could vote on the proposed European league at any time, no formal vote is currently scheduled to take place during this week’s meeting.
“At this week’s NBA Board of Governors meeting, the league will report on its exploration of a new men’s basketball league in Europe, in partnership with FIBA,” the spokesperson said.
March 25: NBA team owners will vote this week on whether to move forward with a plan for a new professional basketball league in Europe, according to Scott Soshnick and Eben Novy-Williams of Sportico (subscription required).
Reporting throughout the season has indicated that the NBA was exploring the possibility of launching its own league in Europe in order to both expand the sport’s presence overseas and to put the NBA in position to “share more directly in the economics of that growth,” as Soshnick and Novy-Williams write.
According to Sportico, the NBA believes that the basketball ecosystem in Europe and the Middle East could be worth up to $3 billion in annual revenue.
Here are some of the details of the proposal, as outlined by Sportico:
- The goal would be for the league to have eight to 10 teams.
- It’s a “semi-open” proposal, which means there would be up to four spots available for top EuroLeague teams to compete in the NBA’s European league the following year.
- The league’s permanent franchise slots would be sold to outside investors, with the NBA holding 50% equity in the league and the franchise owners holding the other 50%.
- The NBA would prefer to sell franchises to people outside of the league. Sportico suggests that potential buyers could include sovereign wealth funds, private capital, wealthy individuals, or existing European basketball clubs.
- Franchises in cities like London or Paris could sell for at least $500MM, per the NBA’s proposal.
The NBA’s team owners are set to meet this week in New York. The vote on the European league will reportedly take place during those meetings.