Southwest Notes: Brooks, Šamanić, Tate, Morant
Grizzlies swingman Dillon Brooks has had trouble finding his shooting touch thus far this season, prompting Evan Barnes of The Memphis Commercial Appeal to wonder if the fourth-year player out of Oregon has already peaked in his development.
Brooks is in the first season of a three-year, $35MM extension he signed with the Grizzlies during the 2019/20 campaign. Though his scoring output has not decreased significantly (he is averaging 14.9 PPG compared to his career-high 16.2 PPG last year), Brooks is connecting on career-low percentages from the floor (37.5%) and the three-point line (28.4%).
There’s more out of the Southwest Division:
- Spurs power forward Luka Šamanić, the No. 19 pick in the 2019 draft who continues to try to carve out a place in the NBA, is returning to an Orlando “bubble” campus. After playing for San Antonio during last year’s summer restart at Disney World, he’ll join the team’s G League affiliate, the Austin Spurs, in the NBAGL bubble campus set to tip off on Wednesday, as Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News details.
- Undrafted Rockets rookie small forward Jae’Sean Tate, now a crucial rotation piece for a retooling Houston squad, had an interesting conversation with Kelly Iko of The Athletic, touching on his experiences in his first 22 NBA games and why he almost stopped playing basketball. The 6’4″ wing is averaging 8.5 PPG (on 52.1% shooting from the floor), 4.9 RPG, 1.6 APG, 0.8 SPG and 0.7 BPG across 25.9 MPG in Houston. “He has a lot of responsibility and he has to do things right on both sides of the floor,” head coach Stephen Silas said of Tate. “He’s getting better every game and you can see it.”
- Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant has struggled over his past three contests. Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian examines the potential root causes behind the trouble for Morant, who has shot just 13-of-39 from the floor in his last three games for Memphis, all losses.
Raptors Notes: Watanabe, Lowry, Drummond, G League
Raptors forward Yuta Watanabe has been able to eke out a consistent rotational role with Toronto this season, as Doug Smith of The Toronto Star details. Watanabe, who went undrafted in 2018 out of George Washington University, spent two seasons on a two-way deal with the Grizzlies before joining the Raptors at the start of the 2020/21 season. Watanabe is averaging 12.2 MPG with the club, converting 42.9% of his 1.6 three-point attempts.
All-Star teammate Kyle Lowry hailed the 6’9″ wing’s contributions: “He’s going to dive for loose balls, and he’s going to be at the right spot, and he’s going to give you everything (he’s) got. He just plays with an extreme hardness.”
Smith notes that Watanabe, currently on a two-way contract with Toronto, is likely to see his deal converted to a full NBA contract within the next month.
There’s more out of Toronto:
- Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report wonders if Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry‘s charmed tenure with Toronto may be wrapping up soon. “There’s a time capsule for everybody and everything,” one Western Conference executive said, “and it’s probably just time to move on.” Lowry signed a one-year, $30.5MM extension with Toronto that will make him an unrestricted free agent at the end of the current 2020/21 season. Though he has been his reliably excellent self, the team has stumbled out of the gate to a 10-13 record and the No. 9 seed in the East. Fischer points to several teams who could benefit from the still-productive lead guard’s services this season, including the Heat, Clippers, Pelicans and Magic.
- After the Raptors’ title-winning frontcourt tandem of Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol fled for championship-caliber rosters in sunny Los Angeles during the offseason, the club could still be mulling ways to fortify its center position. Sources tell The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor that the Raptors are among the teams interested in adding Cavaliers center Andre Drummond, currently earning $28.8MM this season on an expiring deal.
- The Raptors are sending rookies Malachi Flynn and Jalen Harris to the NBAGL’s Orlando “bubble” campus to get some extended development this season. Doug Smith of The Toronto Star previews their upcoming adventure with Toronto’s G League affiliate, Raptors 905.
Al-Farouq Aminu Practices, May Play Tuesday
Magic forward Al-Farouq Aminu was able to fully participate in a team practice today and may even return to the floor tomorrow for the first time this season against the Trail Blazers, per head coach Steve Clifford (Twitter link via Josh Robbins of The Athletic).
Aminu been unavailable since tearing his right meniscus on November 29, 2019 in a 90-83 loss to the Raptors. The 30-year-old is on the second season of a three-year, $29MM contract he inked with the Magic in the summer of 2019.
The versatile 6’8″ forward has appeared in just 18 games for Orlando during his tenure with the club. Aminu holds career averages of 7.6 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 1.2, and 1.0 SPG.
An Aminu return would be a huge on-court boon for the Magic. Orlando is dealing with a rash of injuries, including to starting forwards Jonathan Isaac (out for the season with a torn left ACL) and Aaron Gordon. (out for the next 3-5 weeks with a left ankle sprain).
Roy Parry of The Orlando Sentinel tweets that Magic point guard Michael Carter-Williams participated in practice as well, though injured shooting guard Evan Fournier did not partake. A sprained left foot has rendered Carter-Williams unavailable since January 4. Fournier has been struggling with back spasms intermittently throughout the 2020/21 season.
Knicks Trade DSJ, Second-Rounder To Pistons For Derrick Rose
FEBRUARY 8: The deal is official, the Knicks announced (via Twitter).
FEBRUARY 7, 2:50pm: The two teams are in agreement, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). The Knicks are acquiring Rose from the Pistons in exchange for Smith and Charlotte’s 2021 second-rounder.
12:11pm: Derrick Rose is set to be reunited with the Knicks and with his former Bulls and Timberwolves head coach Tom Thibodeau. New York is nearing an agreement to acquire Rose from the Pistons in exchange for Dennis Smith Jr. and future draft equity, per James Edwards III and Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Steve Popper of Newsday tweets that the draft pick being sent to the Pistons in the Rose deal will not be the Pistons’ own 2021 second-round pick that the Knicks possess, but could be the 2021 second-round pick that the Hornets owe the Knicks.
News on the exact terms of the trade have yet to be announced. How adding Rose, a savvy veteran scoring point guard with a defined ceiling, will impact the still-developing Knicks’ rotation will be interesting to see. Fan favorite rookie Immanuel Quickley and off-guard Austin Rivers may be especially liable to feel the squeeze, but whether Thibodeau opts to start Rose in place of the more defensively-oriented Elfrid Payton is unclear.
The upstart Knicks are currently the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference with an 11-13 record. Offloading future draft picks for a 32-year-old veteran in a move to improve the current on-court product is a curious decision for a club that had very much been prioritizing young players this season. Even All-Star hopeful Julius Randle is only 26.
The Knicks were not the only team in the market for Rose’s services this season. The Clippers, Heat, Bucks, and Nets were apparently all interested in dealing for Rose, per Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).
Charania adds (via Twitter) that Rose and the Pistons mutually agreed a trade was in both sides’ best interests. The Knicks had been floated as Rose’s “preferred destination” due to his familiarity with Thibodeau and his tenure with the team in 2016/17, his last season as a full-time starter.
Rose is in the final season of a two-year, $15MM contract he inked with Detroit in the summer of 2019. Across 22.8 MPG, Rose has been averaging 14.2 PPG, 4.2 APG, and 1.9 RPG in 15 games for the 5-18 Pistons, the worst team in the Eastern Conference.
Smith, meanwhile, has dropped out of the Knicks’ rotation. He has appeared in just three games for the Knicks this season, but could be counted on to play a bigger role for the Pistons. With 2020 No. 7 lottery pick Killian Hayes injured for the immediate future, Delon Wright has assumed Detroit’s starting point guard duties. In the absence of Hayes, two-way rookie Saben Lee had emerged as the the third pure point guard option behind Rose.
Both Rose and Smith will be free agents at season’s end — Smith is eligible for restricted free agency, though it would require a $7MM qualifying offer from Detroit. The Pistons will have his full Bird rights, while the Knicks will have Rose’s Early Bird rights.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Northwest Notes: McDaniels, Miller, Hampton, Muscala
20-year-old rookie Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels is turning heads with his play as he continues to carve out more playing time, per Chris Hine of The Star Tribune.
“I think he’s way better than people are realizing,” Timberwolves guard D’Angelo Russell raved. “He knows the game better than people expect. He makes these exciting plays out of nowhere.”
McDaniels was selected by the Wolves with the No. 28 pick out of Washington in the 2020 draft. He is averaging 17.4 MPG in 17 games. McDaniels played nearly 24 minutes in last night’s 120-118 loss to the Thunder, scoring 8 points on 3-of-5 shooting from the floor.
There’s more out of the Northwest Division:
- Veteran Thunder forward Darius Miller is relishing his time back on a basketball court after missing all of the 2019/20 season due to a ruptured Achilles, as Joe Mussato of the Oklahoman details. “I was trying to figure out how to walk again last year around this part of the season,” Miller said, “so I’m just happy to be able to get out here and compete and play basketball again.” The 30-year-old got injured in a three-on-three game in August 2019 while with the Pelicans. He has played in six games for the Thunder. Miller scored a season-high nine points on three made three-pointers in a 106-103 Friday loss to the Timberwolves.
- Nuggets rookie point guard R.J. Hampton has shown enough flashes to potentially convince the club he deserves more playing time, according to Mike Singer of The Denver Post. “He’s proven he’s trustworthy,” head coach Mike Malone said after Hampton played a career-high 27 minutes last night in a 119-114 loss to the Kings. The No. 24 pick in the 2020 draft, who spent his age-18 season with the New Zealand Breakers, scored a career-high 7 points and pulled down 10 rebounds.
- Veteran Thunder center Mike Muscala has entered the league’s concussion protocol after suffering a concussion during the club’s 120-118 defeat of the Timberwolves last night, per Joe Mussatto of the Oklahoman (Twitter link).
California Notes: Haliburton, Smailagić, Gasol, George
Kings rookie shooting guard Tyrese Haliburton, selected with the No. 12 pick out of Iowa State in the 2020 draft, is looking like a great long-term addition for Sacramento, writes Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated.
The 6’5″ two-guard is averaging 11.8 PPG, 5.4 APG, and 3.8 RPG across 20 games for the Kings. He also holds sparkling shooting numbers, boasting a slash line of .484/.433/.867.
“Ty has that ‘it’ factor,” veteran Kings forward Harrison Barnes said. “He’s going to be special in this league for a long time on and off the floor.”
There’s more out of California:
- The Warriors are sending second-year big man Alen Smailagić to join their G League affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors, for the Orlando NBAGL “bubble” campus season, according to a team press release. Across 14 games, the 6’10” Smailagić averaged 4.2 PPG and 1.9 RPG in 9.9 MPG during his rookie season in 2019/20. He has yet to play for Golden State this year, having undergone knee surgery last month.
- Though Lakers starting center Marc Gasol is averaging a career-low 3.8 PPG (albeit in a career-low 19.4 MPG), Los Angeles head coach Frank Vogel is not concerned, according to Kyle Goon of the Orange County Register. Gasol’s shooting numbers, however, are a bit unsettling: he is connecting on just 36.8% from the field and 31.7% from deep. He made 38.5% of his three-point looks last season. “He’s out there to defend and rebound and play-make from the top of the key and sometimes that’s going to mean he’s going to get a couple of good looks at the 3-point line, a few short rolls and some other situations, some post-up on switches and whatnot,” Vogel said.
- Clippers star forward Paul George has been sidelined for the past two games with a bone edema in his foot, according to Mirjam Swanson of The Orange County Register. Head coach Tyronn Lue would not speculate on the duration of George’s absence. “I don’t know,” he said. “We’re going to miss him. We wish him a speedy recovery.” George is averaging a stellar 24.4 PPG, 6.2 RPG and 5.5 APG in 20 games this season.
Heat Notes: FA Signings, Offseason, Nunn, 2020 Finals Run
The free agent role player additions the Heat acquired this summer, Avery Bradley and Maurice Harkless, have underwhelmed in Miami thus far, per Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Bradley, signed to a two-year, $11.6MM deal (with a team option for year two), is averaging 8.5 PPG, 1.8 RPG, 1.4 APG and 0.7 SPG in just 10 games, and will now miss at least 3-4 weeks of action due to a right calf injury. Forward Harkless, signed to a one-year, $3.6MM contract, is out of the Heat’s rotation. He has appeared in just nine games for Miami, averaging a career-low 10.7 MPG.
There’s more out of South Beach:
- Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel wonders if the Heat have a Plan B for the 2021 offseason after their top target, reigning two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, signed a lucrative extension with the Bucks during the offseason. Winderman posits that the Heat should not sacrifice one of their intriguing younger players for veteran help, as they did last season in the deal that brought Jae Crowder, Andre Iguodala, and Solomon Hill to the Heat from the Grizzlies in exchange for Justise Winslow.
- With Avery Bradley and Goran Dragic sidelined by injury, 2020 All-Rookie First Teamer Kendrick Nunn has answered the bell with efficient offense, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel writes. Nunn had been supplanted in the rotation during the 2020/21 season behind starter Tyler Herro and bench guards Bradley and Dragic.
- With the Heat currently near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings at 8-14 (as of this writing, though they are in action against the Knicks today), Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald wonders if Miami’s 2020 Finals run the result of charmed circumstances while the Heat were in the Orlando “bubble” campus. “We haven’t been playing good basketball,” All-Star wing Jimmy Butler acknowledged.
Eastern Notes: Dellavedova, Pistons, Cavs, Heat
On opening night of the 2020/21 preseason, reserve Cavaliers point guard Matthew Dellavedova suffered a major concussion. His continued troubling symptoms two months later may impede his basketball future, according to Joe Vardon and Kelsey Russo of The Athletic. Dellavedova’s symptoms have prevented the 30-year-old vet from making much momentum in his recovery.
“He’s taking steps, but they’re small steps,” Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said about the backup guard’s recovery last month. “With the history that he has, with the concussions, we’re taking every caution that we possibly can to make sure that he’s gonna be fully recovered first before we do anything with him.”
There’s more from around the Eastern Conference:
- After the Pistons selected point guard Killian Hayes with the No. 7 pick in the 2020 draft, James L. Edwards III and Sam Vecenie of The Athletic posit that the 5-16 team should still consider drafting 6’7″ Oklahoma State ball handler Cade Cunningham if they have the opportunity to do so. Cunningham is averaging 18.3 PPG, 5.9 RPG and 3.5 APG for the Cowboys.
- Though the Cavaliers have enjoyed an impressive 10-12 start to their 2020/21 season (good for the No. 7 seed in the East), Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com opines that the team needs to update its offense from a physical, bully-ball style to a more contemporary, three-point heavy output. “I definitely believe we need more 3s,” second-year guard Darius Garland said. “I don’t think we win any games just shooting all 2s. When we get player movement, we get open shots. And that’s when we knock them down. That’s when we are at our best.”
- Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel speculates about how the Heat can improve their bench depth with potential minimum salary roster additions, especially given the team’s recent rash of short- and long-term player injuries and coronavirus-related player absences.
Southwest Notes: Lonzo, Valanciunas, Eubanks, Terry
The offensive output of Pelicans point guard Lonzo Ball on a given night this season often dictates the team’s overall performance, according to Scott Kushner of the Times-Picayune. The Pelicans are 5-1 when Ball scores at least 16 points in a game. When he scores fewer than 16 points, New Orleans sports a 2-9 record.
“It’s absolutely huge,” Pelicans head coach Stan Van Gundy said of Ball’s contribution to the club. “I mean he’s got the ball in his hands, controlling the action. When he’s taking care of the ball, making good decisions, and, obviously, knocking down shots, our offense is going to be a lot better.”
There’s more out of the NBA’s Southwest Division:
- The NBA’s coronavirus health and safety protocols continue to keep Grizzlies starting center Jonas Valanciunas unavailable to play with the team, though he has traveled with the club and appeared on the team bench during recent contests, according to Evan Barnes of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. Valanciunas has been unavailable since January 17.
- Spurs reserve forward Drew Eubanks recently went through an intense experience with COVID-19, and now seeks to caution others about the risks of the highly variable disease, writes Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News. “It can really affect people, and you don’t know how it can affect you,” Eubanks said. The virus has limited the 24-year-old third-year big man to just six games this season.
- The Mavericks have sent rookie point guard Tyrell Terry to join the Memphis Hustle of the NBA G League ahead of the NBAGL’s Orlando “bubble” season, according to a team tweet. The Mavs’ G League affiliate, the Texas Longhorns, will not be participating in the 18-team 2021 NBAGL season. Dallas drafted Terry with the No. 31 pick in the 2020 NBA draft out of Stanford.
Avery Bradley Strains Calf, Out 3-4 Weeks
A strained right calf will sideline Heat guard Avery Bradley for three to four weeks, per Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter).
The 6’3″ veteran combo guard has only appeared in 10 games with his new club, having been limited as a result of his recent contraction of the novel coronavirus COVID-19. Bradley boasts a slash line of 8.5 PPG/1.8 RPG/1.4 APG, and is shooting a solid 47% from the field and 42.1% from the three-point line.
The Heat inked Bradley to a two-year, $11.6MM contract during the 2020 offseason. The second year is a team option.
As Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald notes (Twitter link), an extended absence for Bradley will likely open up more extended run for second-year guard Kendrick Nunn in the Miami rotation.
The news about Bradley marks the second recent major injury for a 2020 Heat free agent signing. Center Meyers Leonard, re-signed to a two-year deal worth up to $20MM in the off-season (the second season is a team option), suffered a season-ending left shoulder injury that required a Tuesday surgery.
Coronavirus-related absences and key injuries have combined to create a sluggish start to the Heat’s season. After a 2020 Finals run, Miami is the No. 13 seed in the Eastern Conference with a 7-14 record for 2020/21.