Raptors Notes: Rookies, Rebuild, Offseason
Raptors rookies Jamal Shead, Ja’Kobe Walter, Jonathan Mogbo and Jamison Battle may not have made anyone’s Rookie of the Year ballots this season, but the young charges have impressed Toronto decision-makers enough that they may have expedited the club’s rebuild, writes Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca.
Despite a lackluster 30-win season, Grange notes that the youngsters’ upside gives fans and pundits plenty of reason for optimism next year. And Toronto’s young core appears committed to improving over the summer.
“It’s not about what I want to work on,” Shead said. “I think for this team to be good, (the coaching staff is) going to give me the things that (they) would want to see out of me next year, especially to help us win… I think that’s the biggest thing for me. It’s not about what I will work on. It’s about what helps this team.”
There’s more out of Toronto:
- The Raptors have an intriguing offseason ahead of them, writes Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron (Substack link). Gozlan indicates that the team will face three major summer decisions: whether or not to extend Ochai Agbaji, what RJ Barrett‘s future holds, and what to do at the center position. The Raptors will possess a lottery pick in this year’s draft and have a 7.5% chance at the No. 1 overall pick.
- In another comprehensive preview of the Raptors’ 2025 offseason, Keith Smith of Spotrac writes that that the club’s midseason acquisition of Brandon Ingram could pay off next year and opines that a healthier run in 2025/26 could pave the way for at least a playoff berth. That wouldn’t take much in the East, Smith notes, adding that – with plenty of intriguing young players – Toronto could get involved in the bidding for one of the several All-Stars who may become available by trade. Possible star trade candidates this summer include forwards Kevin Durant, Zion Williamson, and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Clippers Notes: Harden, Intuit Dome, Bench, Game 4
During a recent conversation with Marc J. Spears of Andscape about his resurgent 2024/25 season, 11-time All-Star Clippers guard James Harden expressed confidence in his hometown team’s ability to capture its first title this summer.
Before they have a chance to make a serious run at a championship, the Clippers will need to get out of the first round. L.A. is currently knotted with the No. 4 seed Denver, 2-2, in their ongoing first round series. Through four games, the 6’5″ superstar is averaging 21.3 PPG, 9.5 APG, 4.8 RPG and 1.3 BPG, with a shooting line of .453/.400/.833.
“I’m so comfortable in my world and what I supposed to be doing out there,” Harden said. “I think we got the team. We can play isolation basketball with two great ISO players. We got post game with Zu [Ivica Zubac] and ‘Whi [Kawhi Leonard]. Defensively, we’ve been really, really good all year. So, for me, it’s about just keeping my composure, just going out there and reading the game and doing what I am supposed to be doing.
“We got a chance to be the last team standing, which is easier said than done. But we focus on ourselves,” Harden added. “We are playing well right now.”
Last summer, the 35-year-old inked a two-year, $70MM deal to stay with the Clippers. His comeback performance this season may have earned him a raise. Harden has a $36.3MM player option for 2025/26. If L.A. advances and Harden continues to thrive, he could make serious long-term bank.
There’s more out of L.A.:
- The Clippers ultimately split their first two 2025 playoff games at their new arena, the Intuit Dome. Per Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times, L.A. tried to keep an even keel following its 117-83 Game 3 win on Thursday. “We got to build off it,” head coach Tyronn Lue said of the Clippers’ victories in Games 2 and 3. “I liked what we did defensively. It’s still going to be a tough series. It ain’t over ’cause we had a blowout. It’s only one game. So, we got to be ready to come and validate that on Saturday.” Leonard notched a 21-point, 11-rebound double-double. Harden and shooting guard Norman Powell each chipped in 20 points apiece, while Zubac logged 19 points and nine boards.
- A big component of the Clippers’ success has been their impressive bench depth, opines Janis Carr of The Orange County Register. Forwards Nicolas Batum and Derrick Jones Jr.and guards Bogdan Bogdanovic and Ben Simmons have all made vital contributions to the team’s playoff push so far. L.A.’s bench outscored Denver’s 31-6 in the aforementioned Game 3 triumph. “Our bench has been good for us all year long,” Lue said. “I think just understanding the plays we’re trying to run and how we want to attack – we can’t waste possessions. The second unit is just trying to get caught up as far as understanding what we’re trying to do.”
- The Clippers’ sunny series outlook suffered some late-game gloom on Saturday night, when a buzzer-beating Aaron Gordon dunk gave the Nuggets a 101-99 win and evened the series, writes Law Murray of The Athletic. The loss summoned flashbacks of another L.A. series against Denver, the 2020 West semifinals, which the Clippers had led 3-1. A spectacular unraveling yielded a shocking seven-game L.A. defeat. Murray also recalls the unexpected Deandre Ayton dunk in Game 2 of the 2021 Western Conference Finals that helped the Finals-bound Suns snag a late win, and the 2020 buzzer-beater then-Mavericks guard Luka Doncic nailed to draw Dallas even with L.A., 2-2, in a first round series.
Warriors Notes: Butler, Hield, Curry
The Warriors expect six-time All-Star Jimmy Butler will return from his deep gluteal muscle contusion in Game 4 of their ongoing series against Houston, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link). A source informs Slater that Butler took part in an on-court workout ahead of the team’s eventual Game 3 victory against Houston on Saturday. He was held out so that his body could better recuperate, but the team is hoping he will return for Game 4 on Monday.
Butler suffered the injury during a scary fall early into Game 2, and has been sidelined ever since. Golden State has gone 1-1 without him.
On Saturday, ESPN’s Shams Charania told colleague Malika Andrews (Twitter video link) that Butler had “no mobility” on Saturday, which ultimately led to the team’s decision to sit him.
Head coach Steve Kerr, meanwhile, indicated that he considers Butler officially day-to-day, and has no idea whether or not the star forward will play, per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN (via Twitter).
There’s more out of Golden State:
- With Butler shelved, Warriors guard Buddy Hield stepped up to help the club secure a Game 3 home win, Slater writes in another piece. An eight-point Hield run in the second quarter helped stabilize Golden State heading into the halftime break. He ultimately finished with 17 points and a plus-14 mark across 29 minutes of action. “I knew Robin was out, so I had to step up,” Hield said, referencing Butler’s repeated suggestion that he is the Robin to All-NBA guard Stephen Curry‘s Batman. “I had to be Alfred.”
- Stephen Curry was the star of the show for the Warriors in Game 3 on Saturday, Youngmisuk writes for ESPN.com. The two-time league MVP took it upon himself to score more against a tough Rockets defense, notching 25 of his 36 total points in the second and third quarters to propel his team to a 104-93 victory. “He’s one [of the] greatest players of all time,” Kerr said. “He’s 37. He’s one of the most well-conditioned athletes I’ve ever seen in my life. To play 41 minutes against that kind of defense, to have a slow start and then find his rhythm, which we have seen him do countless times over the years, to hit big shots, to only turn it over twice against that kind of pressure, he was brilliant.”
- In case you missed it, Rockets forward Dillon Brooks defended teammate Amen Thompson‘s play on Butler that led to his injury.
Knicks’ Jalen Brunson Returns After Game 4 Ankle Injury
2:13 pm: Brunson has returned to the hardwood after receiving treatment in the visitors’ locker room. He had been wearing a brace on his right knee, but removed it before returning to action, per Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link).
2:09 pm: Knicks All-Star Jalen Brunson, who missed a month down the stretch of the 2024/25 regular season with an ankle injury, appeared to suffer some bad health luck again late into the third quarter of New York’s ongoing Game 4 matchup against the Pistons.
With 2:52 remaining in the third period, Detroit guard Dennis Schroder landed on the right foot of Brunson. The Knicks guard was on the ground for a while, James L. Edwards III of The Athletic tweets, and crawled to the sideline.
According to Adam Zagoria of NJ Advance Media, Brunson appeared to aggravate an ankle injury that cost him 15 games in March and April. The 6’2″ Villanova alum left the floor and was replaced by reserve Cameron Payne, per Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link).
Detroit has capitalized on the absence of New York’s lead play-maker, and currently leads the Knicks, 71-64, early in the fourth quarter. Brunson had been leading the Knicks as a scorer with 21 points on 8-of-18 shooting from the field, plus nine assists and five rebounds.
Through his first three games in the series, Brunson had been on fire offensively, averaging 33.7 points, 8.0 assists, 4.0 rebounds, and 0.7 steals in 41.0 minutes per night.
After splitting the opening two contests in Madison Square Garden, New York bested Detroit on the road and leads the Pistons in the series, 2-1.
Central Notes: Sheppard, Pacers, Bulls, Strus
After starting Pacers swingman Andrew Nembhard got into foul trouble during Indiana’s Game 3 playoff series loss to Milwaukee, reserve guard Ben Sheppard found himself playing more minutes than he had in the contests prior.
Sheppard knocked down a three-point shot during his six first-half minutes and the Pacers outscored Milwaukee by six points during those minutes. He went just 1-of-4 from the field in the second half, but was a +3 in 15:26 of action on the night.
According to Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star, head coach Rick Carlisle hinted that he may want to play Sheppard more going forward.
“Time to get him involved,” Carlisle said. “He did some really good things in the first half…. He gives us another guy to chase (Damian) Lillard around a little bit. Look, we need all hands on deck. We need everybody. Guys are gonna have to be able to come in and possibly play short minutes from time to time to help us with matchups, to help us with rebounding, to help us with spacing. You name it.”
There’s more out of the Central Division:
- A lot went wrong in the Pacers’ 117-101 Game 3 defeat, as Dopirak details in another story. Two-time All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton believes that the team’s defense was the foundational issue. “We have to do a better job of rotating,” Haliburton said. “I gotta do a better job of staying down on shot fakes. Ground and contest, second-jumper contest. It starts with me. That was my matchup to start the game, so I gotta be better, but we were rotating and I thought we had a couple of miscommunications that led to some open ones and he got hot.” Dopirak also notes that the club leaned too heavily on isolation scoring for All-Star forward Pascal Siakam.
- The first round of the playoffs are highlighting the major problems in longtime Bulls president Arturas Karnisovas’ team construction, opines Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. As Cowley explains, Chicago was among the NBA’s fastest-paced offenses and ranked in the bottom half of the league in defense, a profile that doesn’t match many serious contenders.
- Cavaliers swingman Max Strus has emerged as a perfect role player for the team as it gears up to sweep Miami, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.
Warriors’ Jimmy Butler Questionable For Game 3 After Game 2 Exit
April 25: The Warriors confirmed (via Twitter) that Butler has a pelvis and deep gluteal muscle contusion. He’s questionable for Game 3 on Saturday, per the team.
April 24: Butler avoided a serious injury and has been diagnosed with a deep glute muscle contusion, reports ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link). According to Charania, this is a best-case scenario for Butler, as his MRI revealed no structural damage.
Still, Butler’s status for Game 3 against the Rockets on Saturday is in “serious jeopardy.” The Warriors defeated the Rockets on the road in Game 1 behind strong contributions from Curry and Butler, but lost in Game 2 after Butler exited.
April 23: Warriors forward Jimmy Butler has been ruled out for the rest of Golden State’s ongoing Game 2 against the Rockets after a hard fall in the first quarter, Golden State’s PR team announced (via Twitter). He has been diagnosed with a pelvis contusion.
The 6’7″ swingman landed hard on his tailbone after Houston forward Amen Thompson was knocked off balance while battling for a defensive rebound and undercut him beneath the basket (Twitter video link via Dr. David J. Chao).
Butler finishes the game with three points on 1-of-2 shooting from the floor and 1-of-2 shooting from the free throw line, plus two rebounds, in just eight minutes.
Since Golden State acquired the six-time All-Star from Miami in a multi-team blockbuster trade in February, the team has rallied to emerge as a legitimate title contender. Butler has shored up the Warriors’ defense — and given them another major creator — alongside incumbent stars Stephen Curry and Draymond Green. An extended Butler absence could kill the Warriors’ title aspirations.
Another Golden State starter also departed in the first half — guard Brandin Podziemski is questionable to return after exiting the game with a stomach bug, per the Warriors (Twitter link).
Reserve forward Jonathan Kuminga, who had been removed from head coach Steve Kerr‘s rotation since the Warriors’ final regular season game, is now getting his first playoff run of the postseason. Guard Pat Spencer is also seeing some action in the rotation as a result of Podziemski’s absence.
Houston currently leads Golden State by double digits, 47-31, late into the second quarter. The Warriors beat the Rockets at home in Game 1 on Sunday.
A source informs Anthony Slater of The Athletic (via Twitter) that Butler will undergo imaging on Thursday. Slater observes that both Curry and Kuminga were recently diagnosed with pelvic contusions after their own hard falls, and each missed minimal time. Both had to manage the pain upon their returns but were able to play again fairly quickly.
Northwest Notes: Conley, SGA, MPJ, Blazers
Eighteen-year veteran Timberwolves point guard Mike Conley has battled through a difficult 2024/25 season, but he’s finally rounding into form just in time for the playoffs, writes Chris Hine of The Star Tribune.
Minnesota is currently tied at 1-1 in its first round playoff series against Los Angeles.
“This season has been one of the toughest ones I’ve had to deal with,” Conley said. “Obviously, a lot of expectation coming into the season after the year we had, myself included, to not be feeling the best to start the season and not playing the best — those combinations are not good together.”
Conley has been hampered since last summer by a left wrist injury since last summer that he expects will eventually need to be repaired surgically. The former All-Star, who is in the first season of a two-year, $20.8MM deal, also dislocated his finger around the All-Star break.
“In the health part, it was like, am I ever gonna get my wrist right?” Conley said. “Or am I ever gonna get feeling the same where I can hold the ball again correctly, or, not feel pain? And stuff like that. Those are all questions that were staying in my head. Once that went away, the game started to slowly come back together and it’s easier to be confident when you know you’re not feeling something crazy every time you flick your wrist or dribble the ball or play defense.”
There’s more out of the Northwest Division:
- Despite two inefficient nights from All-NBA Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City obliterated Memphis in both instances. Gilgeous-Alexander, who is connecting on just 32.6% of his shots from the field in those victories, celebrated his team’s depth in the wake of his underwhelming performances, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPN. “I feel like I’m getting looks I usually make and just missing them,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “That’s part of basketball. It’s ups and downs, makes and misses. Because my team is really good, we’ve won two games by a decent margin. They’ve had my back these last two nights. Hopefully, I pick it up soon.” The Thunder star scored 27 points in Game 2, but went just 10-of-29 from the field. Star forward Jalen Williams stepped up with 24 points, while big man Chet Holmgren added 20.
- Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. is considered questionable to suit up for Game 3 of Denver’s 1-1 series with the Clippers due to a left shoulder sprain. According to Bennett Durando of The Denver Post, interim head coach David Adelman is relatively confident the 6’10” vet will be available. “I’m very optimistic, because I don’t think he gets enough credit for how tough he is, what he’s played through over these years,” Adelman said. “His pain threshold is something that people don’t understand. … So, do I know if Mike’s going to play? No. But I do know if Mike can play, he will.” Porter injured his shoulder with 1:35 remaining in regulation, forcing Adelman to once again close with sixth man guard Russell Westbrook.
- The Trail Blazers recently opted to extend both GM Joe Cronin and coach Chauncey Billups thanks to a surprisingly solid 36-46 season. Now, Portland is considered a team to watch heading into the offseason, according to longtime NBA insiders Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link), who note that the team will have several veterans on expiring contracts to monitor: Anfernee Simons, Matisse Thybulle, Robert Williams, and Deandre Ayton.
New York Notes: Sharpe, Nets Offseason, Towns, Knicks
Nets center Day’Ron Sharpe will be eligible for restricted free agency this summer. Lucas Kaplan of Nets Daily predicts that the big man, who has developed his game considerably under first-year coach Jordi Fernandez, will be re-signed by Brooklyn.
Sharpe has grown significantly in traditional actions near the basket, Kaplan observes, adding that he’s able to hold his own defensively when he is switched onto guards and has evolved as a rebounder and defender.
Across 50 games this year, the 6’11” big man averaged career highs of 7.9 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.8 blocks in 18.1 minutes per contest. Kaplan believes that Sharpe, still just 23, could have a chance at evolving beyond being a career backup.
There’s more out of New York:
- The Nets have an intriguing summer ahead of them, as Keith Smith of Sportac outlines in an offseason preview. This will represent the club’s first full rebuild cycle with a high lottery pick. The Nets boast $54.5MM in practical cap space. Smith predicts that Brooklyn will ink Sharpe to a three-year, $30MM deal.
- With their first round playoff series against the lower-seeded Pistons knotted at 1-1, the Knicks have their work cut out for them to advance this year. Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (subscriber link) outlines three key issues New York needs to address in this series, with most of them centered around getting All-Star big man Karl-Anthony Towns more involved.
- The Knicks need to re-focus Towns in their offense against Detroit, Fred Katz of The Athletic agrees. Towns didn’t even attempt a shot during the fourth quarter of New York’s eventual Game 2 defeat on Monday. The Pistons have found some success pinning a smaller defender, often forward Tobias Harris, on Towns for much of their actions. “He’s getting touches. He’s making the right play,” head coach Tom Thibodeau said. “If he’s getting double-teamed, I don’t want him to shoot the ball over three people.”
Front Office Rumors: Suns, Ishbia, Myers, Hawks, Connelly, Harrison
Suns owner Mat Ishbia is believed to have had a “longstanding” interest in trying to convince former Warriors president of basketball operations Bob Myers, now an ESPN broadcaster, to return to the NBA to lead Phoenix’s front office, according to Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link).
Ishbia is looking to add new voices to his front office contingent before hiring his fourth head coach in four years, according to Stein and Fischer, who say it’s is unclear whether longtime head of basketball operations James Jones would be replaced in that scenario or would work alongside a new executive.
If Myers were to join the Suns, he’d presumably be the one calling the shots over Jones, but many sources around the league are skeptical Myers would be amenable to joining the team, Stein and Fischer say, even though Phoenix is relatively close to Myers’ L.A. home. While that could work in the club’s favor, Myers is said to be enjoying his TV job and his consulting work with the NFL’s Washington Commanders, while the Suns are currently deep in the league’s second luxury tax apron without a lot of short-term future draft equity.
According to Stein and Fischer, Ishbia is expected to have a “significant” voice in hiring a new head coach, which suggests that Jones and/or another key front office newcomer might not have as much say in the coaching decision as a head of basketball operations typically would. The Suns are expected to seek out a younger, greener head coach than their last three, with multiple former players likely to be considered, the duo reports.
Here are more NBA rumors:
- After firing former general manager Landry Fields earlier this week, the Hawks are looking to pair newly elevated GM Onsi Saleh with their eventual Fields replacement to lead the front office, according to Stein and Fischer. Sources inform the duo that team owner Tony Ressler is open to forking over top dollar for a seasoned front office pro. Myers, who was Saleh’s boss with the Warriors, is a possible target for Atlanta.
- While current Timberwolves president Tim Connelly will likely be linked to front office openings this offseason, there’s a league-wide expectation that the Wolves will sign him to a new deal now that Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez are poised to take over control of the team from Glen Taylor, Stein and Fischer say.
- Mavericks owner Patrick Dumont is reportedly no longer interested in giving general manager Nico Harrison carte blanche when it comes to basketball decisions, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon told former colleague Bomani Jones on the latter’s podcast The Right Time With Bomani Jones (YouTube video link). MacMahon says Dumont is believed to be seeking an experienced front office executive to work alongside Harrison going forward, following his controversial decision to trade five-time All-NBA First Team guard Luka Doncic to Los Angeles in exchange for a package led by injury-prone big man Anthony Davis. “Now, the ‘In Nico We Trust’ era has ended,” McMahon said. “He wants him to bring in an experienced exec. I think he’s realized he’s got to have some checks and balances that weren’t in place… I think this has been a very educational experience for Patrick Dumont in his first full year as an NBA governor. Also, the realization [that] in this world [the] management’s not the stars. The stars are the guys on the floor.”
Knicks’ Jalen Brunson Named Clutch Player Of The Year
All-Star Knicks guard Jalen Brunson has been named the NBA’s 2024/25 Clutch Player of the Year, the league has announced (Twitter link).
According to the NBA (via Twitter), the 6’2″ Villanova alum averaged 5.6 points — the most in the league in clutch situations — on 51.5% shooting across 28 clutch games for New York this season. The Knicks went 17-11 in those contests.
As Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets, Brunson’s 52 made clutch field goals led the NBA, his 156 total clutch points ranked second, and his 28 total clutch assists were third league-wide.
Clutch games are defined as contests in which the score is within five points during either the fourth quarter’s last five minutes or an overtime period.
The honor was voted upon by a global panel of 100 journalists and media experts, the NBA adds (Twitter link). After Brunson, the top five vote-getters were, in order, Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards, Hawks guard Trae Young, and Warriors guard Stephen Curry.
Brunson enjoyed a stellar year overall, beyond just the ends of games. In 65 healthy regular season outings, the 28-year-old logged averages of 26.0 points, 7.3 assists, and 2.9 rebounds per night, with a shooting line of .488/.383/821. Along with center Karl-Anthony Towns, Brunson served as the offensive fulcrum of a 51-31 Knicks squad that finished the year as the Eastern Conference’s No. 3 seed.
Prior to winning the 2024/25 award, Brunson had finished among the top five in voting for Clutch Player of the Year honors in each of the prior two seasons, as well.
In total, 12 players received at least one vote for Clutch Player of the Year, with five players earning a first-place vote. The full results can be viewed here.