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Heat Notes: Play-In, Warriors’ Pick, Adebayo, Herro, Wiggins

April 12th, 2025 at 8:45pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Heat are locked into the East’s No. 10 seed as the play-in tournament approaches, but coach Erik Spoelstra is happy that his team will be part of the postseason at all, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. It’s been a difficult season in Miami, marked by a long dispute with Jimmy Butler before he was traded in February, and Spoelstra is ready for a fresh start.

“It’s the second season and this is something that I want everybody in the locker room, which they do have this, I want everybody to be appreciative of this opportunity,” Spoelstra said. “It could be something where you’re not even in the play-in or have an opportunity for this. We have an opportunity to win and move on to the next thing. I mean, this is exciting. This is great competition.”

The 10th-seeded Heat have to win two road games to reach the playoffs, starting Wednesday with the Bulls, who’ve beaten them in all three meetings this season. If Miami manages to pull out a victory at Chicago, the next obstacle will be the loser of the 7-8 game between Orlando and Atlanta.

“Win or go home. It’s like the NCAA Tournament. Anything can happen,” Bam Adebayo said. “You’ve seen teams in the tournament that got swept by a team in the regular season and you get that one shining moment and it’s a turnaround.”

There’s more on the Heat:

Miami fans will be keeping an eye on the Warriors as the season wraps up tomorrow, Chiang adds. The 2025 first-round pick that the Heat got from Golden State in the Butler deal is top-10 protected. The Warriors are tied with Minnesota for the league’s 10th-best record, so they would have to fall into the play-in tournament, get eliminated there and then land a top-four spot in the lottery to keep the pick from conveying.
Adebayo’s improvement as a three-point shooter has been a significant development, Chiang notes in a separate story. Adebayo went 4-of-6 from beyond the arc in Friday’s win over New Orleans and is now 50-of-115 (43.5%) in his last 34 games. “You’re always going to feel good when the shot is going in,” he said. “It’s just routine. I work on it pregame, obviously behind the scenes. Just seeing it go in, obviously defenses got to change up the coverages a little bit.”
With nothing at stake in Sunday’s game against Washington, Adebayo and Tyler Herro will be given the afternoon off to rest, tweets Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. Andrew Wiggins, who returned Wednesday after missing five games with right hamstring tendinopathy, has also been declared out.

Wizards Notes: Sarr, Middleton, Bey, Johnson

April 12th, 2025 at 7:43pm CST by Arthur Hill

Wizards center Alex Sarr frequently displays the defensive potential that made him the No. 2 pick in last year’s draft, but he still has room to grow, writes Varun Shankar of The Washington Post. Sarr is tied for sixth in the league with 1.5 blocked shots per game, although some of his underlying numbers put him far behind the league’s top rim protectors.

Shankar notes that entering Friday’s game, Sarr was allowing opponents to shoot 64.9% on shots inside of six feet, which is third highest in the league among players who have appeared in at least 30 games and faced at least six such shots per game. Opponents are shooting 3.3 points worse than normal when he’s the primary defender in those situations.

By comparison, Oklahoma City’s Chet Holmgren leads in that category at 18.3 points worse, while Memphis’s Jaren Jackson Jr. is minus-14.2 and Evan Mobley is minus-8.7. Shankar acknowledges that they’re more established than Sarr, but he points out that their numbers were also better than his in their respective rookie seasons.

“Getting stronger, working on my body, all of this is going to improve,” Sarr said. “I think I’ll come back even better (as) a rim protector.”

There’s more on the Wizards:

Veteran swingman Khris Middleton has been declared out for Sunday at Miami, which will be his ninth straight missed game. Coach Brian Keefe told reporters on Friday that Middleton was likely done for the season due to a right knee contusion, Shankar adds. He appeared in 14 games after being acquired from Milwaukee at the trade deadline and holds a $34MM player option for next season.
Saddiq Bey has also been officially ruled out for Sunday, which means he’ll complete his first season with the Wizards without any game action, Shankar tweets. Bey, who’s recovering from an ACL tear he suffered in March of 2024 while with Atlanta, signed a three-year, $20MM contract in free agency last summer. He began practicing with Washington’s G League affiliate last month.
AJ Johnson has been spectacular at times in his first opportunity at regular NBA minutes, Shankar states in a separate story. The rookie shooting guard, who came to Washington in the same deal as Middleton, is averaging 8.9 points per game since the trade but is connecting at just 38.2% from the field and 23.8% from three-point range. He only got into seven games with the Bucks before the deal. “The more I play, I just feel like I’m getting better and better and understanding more,” Johnson said. “I’m just excited to keep playing.” Shankar also traces Johnson’s unconventional road to the NBA, which included time at four high schools and a season in Australia’s National Basketball League.

Inside The Nuggets’ Firing Of Michael Malone, Calvin Booth

April 12th, 2025 at 6:25pm CST by Arthur Hill

Former Nuggets head coach Michael Malone had lost the support of virtually the entire locker room by the time he and general manager Calvin Booth were fired earlier this week, Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (subscription required) reports within an investigation of what went wrong in Denver.

Malone was a strong-willed coach whose emotions varied greatly depending on whether the team won or lost, sources tell Fischer. Many players found that experience grating and began to tune him out.

“I can’t say any player was vouching for him,” one source told Fischer, while another said “this thing is broken” after a loss to Indiana last week.

As several other reports have indicated, Malone and Booth had a strained relationship and rarely communicated other than to discuss matters involving the team. Booth turned down a contract extension prior to the season, believing it was below his market value, and it was widely believed that Malone’s time in Denver would have ended this offseason if Booth had accepted the offer and remained GM.

Much of their conflict stemmed from Malone’s preference to rely on experienced veterans at the expense of younger talent, which Fischer notes is a practice that pre-dates Booth’s arrival to the team. Fischer points to Isaiah Hartenstein, one of the most sought-after free agents on last year’s market, as the best example. Hartenstein could have developed into a reliable backup for Nikola Jokic, but Malone only used him in 30 games during the 2020/21 season before he was traded to Cleveland at the deadline.

A similar situation played out last year with Jay Huff, who has blossomed this season in Memphis. Sources tell Fischer that Booth and assistant general manager Tommy Balcetis both implored Malone to play Huff, who was on a two-way contract at the time, but he only got into 20 games and averaged 2.5 minutes per night.

While Christian Braun eventually broke through and has established himself as a reliable starter, Malone was pushing to trade him for a more established player leading up to the 2024 deadline, sources tell Fischer.

Fischer points out that despite their animosity, Malone and Booth were able to produce the most successful seasons in Nuggets history, winning the NBA title in 2023 and matching the franchise record for victories with 57 last year.

Much of the frustration stemmed from Malone’s refusal to give regular minutes to the young players Booth brought in after Bruce Brown, Jeff Green and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope left in free agency. Fischer notes that Booth had a sign-and-trade opportunity with the Mavericks last summer involving Caldwell-Pope, but he didn’t want to strengthen the roster of the defending Western Conference champions.

The Nuggets were quiet at this year’s trade deadline, as Booth said potential deals would have to involve Zeke Nnaji‘s $8.8MM salary and Dario Saric‘s $5.1MM. Fischer hears that Denver expressed interest in several players — including Terance Mann, who was ultimately dealt to Atlanta — but Booth felt the price was too high and many potential trading partners shied away from Saric because he holds a player option for next season.

The front office also considered trade options that would turn Michael Porter Jr.‘s $36MM salary into multiple players on lesser deals, according to Fischer. He adds that it never got past the conceptual stage, noting that the Kroenkes are fond of Porter because he’s a Missouri alum just like they are, and they’re considered unlikely to trade him away.

Nuggets players are more supportive of interim coach David Adelman, and Fischer hears that he’ll get a chance to keep the job on a permanent basis. Fischer notes that Booth wasn’t immediately replaced, but sources tell him the team will conduct a search for a new head of basketball operations while keeping most of the current front office together. Fischer mentions Minnesota general manager Matt Lloyd as a name to watch.

The biggest question hanging over the Nuggets as the season winds down is whether Jokic might grow tired of all the chaos and ask for a trade. Fischer states that the three-time MVP has shown no indication of wanting out, but adds that rival teams are sure to be calling with offers this summer.

Pacific Notes: Curry, LeBron, Redick, Carter

April 12th, 2025 at 3:58pm CST by Luke Adams

Warriors star Stephen Curry left Friday’s game in Portland with a right thumb injury, but X-rays were negative and he returned to action after getting it wrapped up, tweets Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Curry, who initially injured the thumb in January, downplayed the issue after the game and said he’ll be good to go on Sunday vs. the Clippers, per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.

“From what I know, just an aggravation,” Curry said. “The same thing (as the earlier thumb injury), but hopefully it wasn’t anything serious. … I just know it hurts right now, but I’ll be all right.”

The Warriors will need their top scorer at his best on Sunday — a win over L.A. would clinch a playoff spot for the team, while there’s a good chance a loss would lead to a play-in berth.

“I don’t want to be too dramatic,” Curry said when asked about Sunday’s game. “It should be like a Game 7 kind of vibe. You win and you control your destiny on a guaranteed playoffs series. If you lose, you roll the dice.”

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

Like Curry, Lakers forward LeBron James exited Friday’s game with an injury. However, head coach J.J. Redick told reporters, including Dave McMenamin of ESPN, that James is “fine” after appearing to tweak his left hip/groin area. With Los Angeles locked into the No. 3 seed, LeBron seems unlikely to play much – if at all – on Sunday in Portland.
Asked on Friday whether he finds being a head coach more rewarding than being a player, Redick quickly said yes, though the Lakers‘ coach admitted he didn’t have a great explanation for why that’s the case, writes Khobi Price of The Orange County Register (subscription required). “I tried to figure that out for the last six months, I’m not sure,” Redick said. “But I will say, I think anybody that was around me as a player knows how much I enjoyed the job every day and knows how grateful I was to be in the NBA every day and very grateful to have a 15-year career. I like this more.”
Kings rookie Devin Carter didn’t make his debut until January due to a shoulder injury and has struggled offensively, averaging just 3.8 points per game on .375/.288/.591 shooting in 35 outings (10.7 MPG). Still, he’s playing a rotation role lately for the play-in club in large part due to his contributions on the other end of the floor. “I live with a lot of what DC does offensively as he still finds his way because he is spectacular on the defensive end,” interim head coach Doug Christie told Spencer Davies of RG.org, who spoke to Carter about his first NBA season.

Raptors Promote A.J. Lawson To Two-Year Standard Deal

April 12th, 2025 at 3:46pm CST by Rory Maher

April 12: The Raptors have officially promoted Lawson to their standard roster, the team confirmed today in a press release.

April 11: The Raptors are promoting A.J. Lawson from his two-way contract to a two-year standard deal, agents Todd Ramasar and Mike Simonetta tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

An Ontario native, Lawson signed a two-way contract with Toronto in December after spending training camp this past fall with Dallas. He has made 24 appearances for the Raptors thus far in 2024/25, averaging 8.8 points and 3.2 rebounds in 18.0 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .428/.333/.620.

The Raptors waived center Orlando Robinson and sharpshooter Cole Swider on Thursday, creating a pair of openings on their standard roster. They will fill one of those vacancies by converting Lawson from his two-way contract. Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca reported yesterday that promoting Lawson was one option that Toronto was considering.

A 6’6″ wing, Lawson went undrafted in 2021 out of South Carolina. He spent his first professional season in the G League before catching on with Minnesota and then Dallas during the 2022/23 campaign. He spent all of ’23/24 with the Mavs, appearing in 42 games in a limited role off the bench.

Lawson opened ’24/25 suiting up for the G League’s Long Island Nets before signing with the Raptors. He was named to the NBAGL’s Up Next event — essentially its version of the All-Star Game — in late January. In 37 combined games (33.1 MPG) with Long Island and the Raptors 905 this season, the 24-year-old has averaged 20.9 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 2.5 APG and 1.3 SPG on .440/.361/.726 shooting.

Lawson’s salary for next season will be fully non-guaranteed, according to Murphy (Twitter link).

Anthony Edwards Has 18th Tech Rescinded, Won’t Be Suspended

April 12th, 2025 at 3:04pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA has announced that the technical foul assessed to Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards in the second quarter of Friday’s game has been rescinded (Twitter link).

It’s a significant decision, since the technical foul was Edwards’ 18th of the season and would’ve resulted in an automatic one-game suspension for Sunday’s regular season finale if it hadn’t been rescinded, as we explained on Friday night.

An NBA player is suspended for one game when he reaches 16 technical fouls in a regular season and faces additional one-game bans for every two techs he picks up after reaching that threshold. As a result of the NBA’s decision, Edwards’ technical foul count for the season will revert to 17 and he’ll be available to play on Sunday vs. Utah in a game that the Wolves need to win in order to clinch a guaranteed (ie. top-six) playoff spot.

Bill Kennedy, the crew chief of Friday’s officiating crew, said after the game that Edwards received his technical foul for directing profanity toward a referee (Bluesky video link via CJ Folger).

The Timberwolves star told reporters that he asked “where was the f—in’ foul,” according to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, who notes that both Edwards and head coach Chris Finch said they didn’t feel the comment warranted a tech (Twitter links). Upon review, the league agreed with them.

A player’s technical foul count resets in the postseason, so Edwards won’t be in any immediate danger of another suspension if the Wolves secure a playoff berth. He would have to accrue seven techs in the playoffs to be suspended.

Kings’ Sabonis: ‘I’m Happy I’m In Sacramento’

April 12th, 2025 at 2:12pm CST by Luke Adams

After leading the NBA in rebounds per game in 2022/23 and ’23/24, Kings center Domantas Sabonis is set to achieve the feat for a third straight season. His 13.9 rebounds per game this year represent a career high.

As Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press writes, unless Nikola Jokic blows away the NBA’s single-game rebounding record on Sunday, Sabonis will become the seventh player in NBA history to win at least three straight rebound titles, joining Wilt Chamberlain, Dennis Rodman, Moses Malone, Kevin Garnett, Dwight Howard, and Andre Drummond. Outside of Drummond, who is still active, all of those players are Hall of Famers.

“I didn’t know that they’re all there,” Sabonis said of the group. “That’s pretty cool, pretty cool. Pretty exciting, you know. At the same time, I’m just trying to go out there and play and do my job for the team and help whatever I can do to let them win. But obviously, it’s an honor to be mentioned with those guys. I think that’s really cool.”

Sabonis is also vying to be named to an All-NBA team for a third consecutive year. He made the third team in both 2023 and 2024 and said it “would be an honor” to do so again this season.

As Reynolds points out, Sabonis is one of just six players who have a chance to receive a third straight All-NBA nod in 2025 — Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, LeBron James, and Stephen Curry are the others.

“I never dreamt of being in the top 15 players of a season, let alone my name carrying a legacy, my dad’s name, the number, everything,” said Sabonis, the son of Hall of Famer Arvydas Sabonis. “It’s just awesome.”

While the Kings’ playoff hopes are still alive, they’ll have to win a pair of play-in games just to earn the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference. Given that the team has fallen well short of expectations this season, there’s a chance that Sabonis’ future in Sacramento will become a popular topic of speculation over the summer, Reynolds notes.

A report in March suggested that Sabonis is expected to “seek clarity” on the Kings’ direction this offseason following the in-season trade of his longtime running mate De’Aaron Fox. For his part, the star big man – who has three more years left on his contract – insists he’s just fine where he is and isn’t seeking a change of scenery.

“I’m happy I’m in Sacramento,” Sabonis said, per Reynolds. “My offseason home’s in Napa. I couldn’t be happier here. I love the fans. I love playing for the city. I just wish we could perform better and give them what they deserve.”

What To Watch For On Final Day Of NBA’s Regular Season

April 12th, 2025 at 1:16pm CST by Luke Adams

All 30 NBA teams have Saturday off and will play their regular season finales on Sunday. Here are a few things worth keeping an eye on during the season’s final weekend:

Playoff berths and seeding

The Eastern Conference postseason seeding has already been set, as we outlined on Friday night. However, the Western Conference playoff picture remains very much in flux.

The Thunder wrapped up the No. 1 seed weeks ago and the Rockets and Lakers have since clinched the second and third seeds, respectively. But at least two teams remain in play for each of the other seven spots in the West, with an incredible five clubs still in the mix for the No. 7 seed.

Here are the current standings from Nos. 4 through 10:

Denver Nuggets (49-32)
Los Angeles Clippers (49-32)
Golden State Warriors (48-33)
Minnesota Timberwolves (48-33)
Memphis Grizzlies (47-34)
Sacramento Kings (39-42)
Dallas Mavericks (39-42)

And here are the relevant Sunday matchups involving those teams:

Denver Nuggets at Houston Rockets
Los Angeles Clippers at Golden State Warriors
Utah Jazz at Minnesota Timberwolves
Dallas Mavericks at Memphis Grizzlies
Phoenix Suns at Sacramento Kings

There are too many possible scenarios to list them all here, but the NBA has published a handy chart (on Twitter) explaining all of the various outcomes. In short, the Nuggets, Clippers, Warriors, and Timberwolves are vying for the final three guaranteed playoff spots and each need a win to clinch their spot in the top six of the West.

The Nuggets would also clinch a playoff spot if the Warriors or Timberwolves lose, while the Clippers can secure their spot if the Nuggets or Timberwolves lose and the Warriors can sew up a playoff berth with a Timberwolves loss. Minnesota must beat Utah in order to finish in the top six. If the Wolves and Nuggets both win, they’ll finish in the top six along with the winner of the Clippers/Warriors game.

The Grizzlies are locked into a play-in spot and will face whichever one of those four teams fails to clinch a playoff berth on Sunday. They still have a chance to host that 7 vs. 8 play-in game if they beat Dallas and Utah upsets Minnesota.

The only outstanding question for the Kings and Mavericks is which team will host their play-in game — Sacramento can lock up home court advantage with a victory over the Suns.

Traded draft picks and lottery odds

While a win on Sunday would guarantee the Kings a home play-in game, it would reduce the odds that they’ll hang onto their top-12 protected first-round pick, which they owe to the Hawks. In order to hang onto that pick, Sacramento must miss the playoffs and then either move into the top four in the draft lottery or pick 11th or 12th, ahead of multiple play-in teams.

That second scenario technically remains in play. For example, let’s say the Kings lose on Sunday and finish the season with a 39-43 record. And let’s say the Mavericks and Hawks each win on Sunday and finish 40-42, while the Bulls win too to end up at 39-43. Finally, let’s say the Heat claim one of the final playoff spots in the East via the play-in tournament.

In that scenario, there would be two lottery teams (either the Magic or Hawks and one Western team) with better records than the Kings, who would be in a coin flip with the Bulls for the No. 11 spot in the draft lottery. That would give the Kings a strong chance of hanging onto their protected first-rounder, but a lot would have to fall into place for that to happen, starting with a loss on Sunday.

There are several more traded first-round picks that have a wide range of outcomes depending on where teams finish in the standings and how the play-in tournament plays out. For example, the Grizzlies owe the Wizards their lottery-protected first-round pick. If Memphis wins its first play-in game, that pick figures to land at 17 or 18. On the other hand, if the Grizzlies lose consecutive play-in games, they’d keep the pick and Washington would instead get a pair of second-rounders.

Another example: the Timberwolves owe their first-round pick to the Jazz, with no protections. A win on Sunday for Minnesota would mean that pick lands in the late teens or early 20s. A loss, followed by a pair of losses in the play-in tournament, would make it a lottery pick.

Speaking of the lottery, there’s still some positioning to be finalized there too, starting with whether the Wizards and Jazz, who are tied at 17-64, will finish atop the lottery standings. If both teams win (or if they both lose) on Sunday, a coin flip will decide their order. The team that gets the No. 1 spot will have the same odds at a top-four pick as the No. 2 team, but won’t be able to fall further than fifth overall in the draft. The coin flip loser could fall as far as sixth if several teams leapfrog them into the top four.

Most other guaranteed lottery teams are locked into their respective positions, but the Trail Blazers (35-46) and Suns (36-45) at No. 9 and No. 10 could still end up swapping spots if Portland wins and Phoenix loses on Sunday. In that scenario, a coin flip would decide which team is ninth in the lottery order.

Award races

It may seem safe to assume that no awards will be decided based on what happens on the final day of the season, but you never know.

For instance, if the Nuggets lose on Sunday and end up falling all the way to No. 7 in the Western Conference standings, we can probably just hand the MVP trophy to Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. On the other hand, if Nikola Jokic helps Denver clinch the No. 4 seed with a 50-point triple-double, maybe that will sway some voters who are on the fence.

There are no serious candidates for end-of-season awards who absolutely need to play at least 20 minutes on Sunday in order to meet the NBA’s 65-game criteria. Technically, Raptors forward Scottie Barnes has one game to go to reach 65, but he’s pretty unlikely to warrant any real consideration for awards like All-NBA and All-Defense.

Teams with open roster spots

As we outlined on Thursday, there are still a handful of teams with open spots on their standard 15-man rosters. Those teams are now as follows:

Boston Celtics
Golden State Warriors
Toronto Raptors (2)

The Mavericks (Brandon Williams) and Pelicans (Elfrid Payton) have signed players since Thursday to fill spots on their 15-man rosters, and reports have indicated that the Celtics (JD Davison) and Raptors (A.J. Lawson and Colin Castleton) have lined up deals for their openings too. So the Warriors are really the only team we’re waiting on here.

It’s not unprecedented for a team to leave a roster spot open at the end of the season, but it’s pretty rare — all 30 teams finished the season with full 15-man squads in each of the past three years.

That makes the Warriors a good bet to make a roster move before their final game tips off on Sunday, even if it’s as simple as promoting a two-way player to a standard contract to make him postseason-eligible.

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Southeast Notes: Larsson, Mitchell, Risacher, Middleton

April 12th, 2025 at 12:00pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Heat lost rookie guard Pelle Larsson on Wednesday to a sprained ankle he suffered during a weightlifting incident, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald writes. The rookie out of Arizona called the incident a “freak accident.”

“I was lifting and just stepped and got my foot caught in something,” Larsson said. “So I just stepped on a twisted ankle, and it doesn’t feel great.”

Larsson isn’t sure if he’ll be ready for next week’s play-in tournament, according to coach Erik Spoelstra. It’s unfortunate timing, as he had established himself as a strong perimeter defender for Miami and started six games in a row with Andrew Wiggins sidelined, averaging 10.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.2 steals in those games, Chiang notes.

“It’s more frustrating than anything, especially when it happens off the court,” Larsson added. “It feels like you don’t have as much control. So it’s frustrating.”

We have more from the Southeast Division:

After playing 22 minutes in Friday’s matchup against the Pelicans, Heat guard Davion Mitchell crossed the 2,000-minute mark on the season and met the starter criteria. That means his qualifying offer this season will remain at $8,741,210 — it would have dipped to $7,976,830 if he had fallen short of 2,000 minutes.
Hawks No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher continued his late-season push for Rookie of the Year consideration on Thursday, scoring a career-high 38 points against the Nets. According to the team (Twitter link), Risacher’s 38 points were the most by any rookie in a single game this season.
Wizards forward Khris Middleton has been out since March 27 and will probably miss the team’s final game of the season on Sunday, according to The Washington Post’s Varun Shankar (Twitter link). In 14 games with the Wizards, all starts, Middleton averaged 10.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists per night.

New York Notes: Russell, Young Nets, Bridges, Anunoby, Knicks

April 12th, 2025 at 9:59am CST by Tristan Tucker

After expressing multiple times in March that he’d like to remain in Brooklyn beyond this season, Nets guard D’Angelo Russell reiterated that desire in an exclusive interview with Erik Slater of ClutchPoints.com.

“A lot of teams are rebuilding, but to be here and see this team rebuilding with the pieces that they have, I think the league will be on notice. They were on notice this year,” Russell said. “This group had a lot of good wins before I got here, and then when I got here, we beat a lot of good teams as well. I think just what the future holds with this group [is why I want to be back]. Obviously, what (head coach) Jordi (Fernandez) and (general manager) Sean (Marks) are creating, I’m familiar with it. Being somewhere familiar is something I’m definitely prioritizing.”

In 29 games with the Nets this season, Russell is averaging 12.9 points and 5.6 assists per contest. Even though his numbers have dipped since last season, he’s excited by the idea of serving as a mentor for the young Nets.

We have more from New York:

With several new faces expected to join the team in this year’s draft (Brooklyn holds four first-round picks), the Nets‘ young players know they’re auditioning for roles moving forward, the New York Post’s Brian Lewis writes. “We’re not just out there playing,” big man Drew Timme said. “A lot of us are interviewing for our jobs.” Timme, Jalen Wilson, Keon Johnson, Tyrese Martin and Maxwell Lewis all have team options for next season, while other young players like Cam Thomas, Ziaire Williams, Trendon Watford, Day’Ron Sharpe and Reece Beekman all are slated to reach free agency.
The Knicks went 1-11 combined in games against the Cavaliers, Celtics and Pistons this season and heading into a first-round matchup with Detroit, New York will need its wings to step up defensively and bear the responsibility of guarding Cade Cunningham, SNY’s Ian Begley writes. Specifically, the Knicks will be relying in the series on two players on whom they spent significant trade capital: Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby.
New York’s 1-11 record against those three teams this season was clinched when the Knicks blew a 23-point lead against the Cavs on Friday. Ahead of the playoffs, the Knicks are seeking urgency, Chris Herring of ESPN writes. “We’ve got to get it fixed, and we’ve got to get it fixed fast,” coach Tom Thibodeau said after Friday’s loss. “[We need to fix] everything. We’ve got to play for 48 minutes on both sides of the ball.“

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