Andrew Wiggins To Premiere As A Warrior Tonight
Newly-acquired Warriors swingman Andrew Wiggins will see his first on-court action tonight for his new squad, in an ABC home tilt against the West-leading Lakers, a source tells the Athletic’s Anthony Slater (Twitter link).
After being drafted with the No. 1 overall pick out of Kansas by the Cavaliers in 2014, Wiggins was traded to the Timberwolves in exchange for All-Star Kevin Love. Love joined fellow All-Stars LeBron James and Kyrie Irving for an Eastern Conference juggernaut that made four straight NBA Finals, winning one title in 2016.
Wiggins, meanwhile, had an up-and-down career in Minnesota. Touted as having the tools to be a high-level two-way wing, Wiggins instead was an inefficient scorer who never became the defensive wiz he was supposed to be. With a healthy Warriors squad next season, Wiggins will no longer need to be a prime offensive fulcrum.
Still just 24, Wiggins put up respectable numbers for a dismal 15-34 Timberwolves team: he boasts a slash line of 22.4 PPG, 5.2 RPG, and 3.7 APG. The Warriors are no doubt hopeful that being moved to a stabler organization will help turn Wiggins into a reliable, Harrison Barnes-esque cog on what should be a loaded Golden State team in 2020/21, after All-Stars Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson return to action.
Celtics Notes: Injury Bug, Kemba, Theis, Brown
The persistent injury bug that has dogged the Celtics has made it hard to decipher just what the team’s ceiling can be when healthy, according to NBC Sports Boston’s Chris Forsberg. The bug is currently affecting All-Star point guard Kemba Walker and center Enes Kanter.
“I don’t know what they’ve officially labeled [Walker’s knee injury] as but it’s been ongoing all year,” coach Brad Stevens said. “And he missed, I think, a game earlier this month for it. But it flared up.”
Marcus Smart started in Walker’s stead for the Celtics in a Saturday 116-95 defeat of the Sixers.
There’s more out of Boston:
- Speaking of ailing Celtics, Walker is not worried about the knee soreness that will sideline him for at least the next game, Taylor Snow of Celtics.com reports.
- Boston center Daniel Theis has been a stabilizing defensive presence, Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston details in a separate piece. The 27 year-old Theis has been a pleasant surprise for the Celtics in the wake of several key frontcourt injuries and the trade of Aron Baynes over the summer.
- Though fourth-year Celtics wing Jaylen Brown may have been snubbed as an All-Star this season in favor his teammate Jayson Tatum, Brown’s chief priority is helping his team make a concerted playoff push, as A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports Boston details. “I’ve been working on my game since I came into the league,” Brown said. “I’m going to continue to get better. That’s it, man.”
Sixers Notes: Trade Targets, Horford, Thybulle, Smith
The Sixers are unhappy with the exclusion of rookie defensive standout Matisse Thybulle from the 2020 All-Star Game’s Rising Stars rookie-sophomore game, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
“I feel like he’s… having a real impact on a winning team,” big man Al Horford said of the 6’5″ wing from the University of Washington. “I’m disappointed about that.”
Sixers coach Brett Brown had similar sentiments: “Just look at the numbers. I think that he should have been in the game.”
Thybulle, the No. 20 pick in the 2019 NBA draft, ranks 13th in the league in steals at 1.56 a night, a category in which he also leads all rookies.
There’s more out of Philadelphia:
- The Sixers are in search of an offensive reserve upgrade. Their bench production as of January 31 was 29.0 PPG and 5.7 APG, third-worst in the league. Three realistic targets that have been floated are Pistons guard Derrick Rose, former Sixer and current Timberwolves forward Robert Covington, and Wizards stretch four Davis Bertans. Unfortunately, the current asking price for these targets is a too-steep request of the impressive and cost-effective Thybulle and a future first-round pick, sources tell The Athletic’s Anthony Slater.
- Horford continues to adjust to his awkward fit on his new team next to current All-Star center Joel Embiid, according to Tim Bontemps of ESPN. The 33-year-old former All-Star big man was signed to a four-year, $109MM contract ($97MM guaranteed) this summer thanks to his offensive versatility and defensive moxie. Horford, generally a center at his last stop with the Celtics, has been featured far more at power forward for the Sixers. 32% of his minutes have been played at the position this season, as opposed to just 9% during 2018/19 with Boston. He has also been relegated to a spot-up shooting role more frequently than in years prior.
- With the trade deadline around the corner, little-used second-year Sixers shooting guard Zhaire Smith could be an intriguing trade target for other teams, David Murphy of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes. But would the Sixers be giving up on Smith too soon if they moved him in a trade for veteran help? The 2018 first-rounder has played just 10 games in his two seasons with Philadelphia.
Kris Dunn Sprains Right MCL
An initial examination has revealed that 6’3″ Bulls bench-guard-turned-starting-small forward Kris Dunn is suffering from a sprained right medial collateral ligament, according to the Chicago Sun-Times (Twitter link) and K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago (Twitter link).
Johnson notes that there is no timeline set for Dunn’s return, while the Sun-Times account notes that more information will be divulged once Dunn consults with doctors. Depending on the severity of the sprain, Dunn could be looking at a multi-week recovery window before he is cleared to resume action.
Bulls head coach Jim Boylen told reporters that second-year forward Chandler Hutchison will start in Dunn’s stead for Chicago’s afternoon game against the Raptors today, according to Johnson (Twitter link). Dunn exited Friday night’s 133-118 loss to the Nets with the injury.
In 51 contests this season (including 32 starts), Dunn is averaging 7.3 PPG, 3.6 RPG and 3.4 APG, while shooting 44.4% from the field and 74.1% from the free throw line. The No. 5 pick in 2016 out of Providence, Dunn has established himself as a terrific defender for a surprisingly effective Chicago defense this season. The 6’3″ wing is a restricted free agent this summer.
Kevon Looney Probable To Return For Warriors Tonight
Warriors center Kevon Looney, who has missed 18 games with an abdominal strain, is set to return to the lineup tonight in a tilt against the Cavaliers, according to Connor Letourneau of the San Francisco Chronicle.
Slater reports that Looney will be coming off the bench in his return, and will be restricted to a 20-minute limit. The UCLA alum has averaged 2.6 PPG and 2.9 RPG in just 10.5 minutes over 10 games.
Looney has not appeared in a game for Golden State since a December 23 win against the Timberwolves. The 6’9″ big man signed a three-year, $15MM contract with the Warriors this past summer after having a career-best season in 2018/19. He averaged 6.3 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 1.5 APG and 0.7 BPG in just 18.5 minutes per contest for the Warriors en route to the team’s fifth consecutive Finals appearance (and Looney’s fourth).
The Warriors could use all the help they can get; they currently have the worst record in the NBA, a paltry 10-39.
Kings Sign Big Man Eric Mika To 10-Day Contract
The Kings have inked power forward/center Eric Mika to a 10-day contract, according to a team press release.
The 6’10” Mika has averaged 19.8 PPG, 14.5 RPG, 2.4 APG and 0.8 BPG across 13 games (in which he notched 11 double-doubles) for Sacramento’s G League affiliate, the Stockton Kings. He is shooting 56.7% from the field and 67.4% from the charity stripe.
The big man logged a career-best 24 rebounds against the Santa Cruz Warriors on November 9, 2019.
The 25-year-old out of BYU, who also played on Sacramento’s summer league squad, should help shore up the Kings’ depth at the power forward and center positions. Kings big men Marvin Bagley and Richaun Holmes remain out for at least several weeks with injuries.
Ex-Magic Guard Isaiah Briscoe To Play In Poland
Former Magic point guard Isaiah Briscoe signed a new deal with King Wilki Morskie Szczecin, a team in Poland’s top basketball league, the club announced on Instagram.
After going undrafted out of Kentucky in 2017, the 6’3″ point guard inked a deal with Estonian team BC Kalev/Cramo. Briscoe went on to be named MVP of the 2018 Estonia/Latvia All Star Game.
Briscoe then latched on with an NBA team at last, appearing in 39 games for the Magic during the 2018/19 season. He posted a slash line of 3.5 PPG/2.2 APG/1.9 RPG, while shooting 39.9% from the field, 32.4% from three-point range (on 0.9 attempts), and 57.7% from long range.
Last year, Briscoe played for the Ratiopharm Ulm of the Basketball Bundesliga league in Germany.
Former Hawk Daniel Hamilton Signs With Guaynabo Mets
Former NBA shooting guard Daniel Hamilton has inked a new deal with the Guaynabo Mets of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional league of Puerto Rico, according to Dario Skerletic of Sportando.
The 6’5″ Hamilton was the No. 56 draft pick in 2016 out of the University of Connecticut. He suited up for six games with the Thunder in the 2017/18 season and 19 games, including three starts, for the Hawks in 2018/19.
Across his 25 NBA games, Hamilton holds career averages of 2.8 PPG, 2.1 RPG, and 1.2 APG. He is shooting 39.4% from the field and 35.7% on 1.1 three-point attempts a night. Hamilton has also logged time with the Oklahoma City Blue, the Erie BayHawks, and the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the G-League.
Hamilton, the 2015 AAC Rookie of the Year, made the 2019/20 Cavaliers‘ training camp roster, but was waived before the start of the season.
Hoops Rumors Originals: 1/26/20-2/1/20
Every week, the Hoops Rumors writing team creates original content to complement our news feed. Here are our original segments and features from the past seven days:
- Luke Adams took a look at the NBA players currently on active 10-day contracts.
- Adams updated his 2020 free agent power rankings from November with a fresh appraisal of the top 20 available NBA players for this summer.
- With NBA trade season mere days away, Adams examined the players acquired using an exception, who cannot be aggregated in a separate trade for two months after the original deal.
- Adams listed all the players whose NBA draft rights are currently held by NBA teams during the 2019/20 season.
- The stock of Bucks forward Dragan Bender and Bulls point guard Shaquille Harrison, both summer 2020 free agents, is down thus far. Dana Gauruder detailed their performances this season, and those several other Central Division free agents, in this week’s installment of our Free Agent Stock Watch series.
- Pistons guard Derrick Rose and Bulls swingman Denzel Valentine are two players Luke Adams considers in this week’s Central Division edition of our Trade Candidate Watch series.
- In this week’s Hoops Rumors Glossary, Adams defines the Traded Player Exception.
- In our Community Shootarounds this week, we asked:
- In our Polls this week, we asked if Bradley Beal should be an All-Star.
Norman Powell Fractures Ring Finger, Out Indefinitely
Raptors shooting guard Norman Powell fractured the fourth metacarpal of his left hand and will be out indefinitely, according to TSN Sports’ Josh Lewenberg (Twitter link) and The Athletic’s Blake Murphy (Twitter link). Powell injured his non-shooting hand during the fourth quarter of the 35-14 Raptors’ 105-92 defeat of the 17-33 Pistons last night.
Raptors bench guards Patrick McCaw and Terence Davis appear to be next in line to supplement Powell’s minutes throughout his indefinite absence, Lewenberg notes in a separate tweet.
Powell has blossomed during his fifth season with the Raptors. The 6’3″ shooting guard out of UCLA had career averages of 7.1 PPG and 2.1 RPG coming into the year, but is essentially doubling those marks (15.3 PPG and 3.9 RPG) while shooting 49.8% from the field and 40.1% on 5.1 three-point attempts per game.