Atlantic Notes: Thybulle, Sixers, Randle, J. Hernangomez
Matisse Thybulle‘s rookie season ended amid the COVID-19 pandemic and last offseason was dedicated to the Olympics, so this is the first summer he’s been able to fully focus on improving his skills, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. The Sixers guard took advantage of the opportunity, spending time training with Damian Lillard and DeMar DeRozan, and he’s eager to show off the improvements he has made.
“It’s just a different feeling you feel when you can see how much more of yourself when you are giving to your craft,” he said, “and to the team and surrendering to the work and living to whatever the outcome can be.”
Thybulle was a lightning rod for criticism last year because of his limitations on offense and his refusal to get vaccinated, which left him unable to participate in playoff games in Toronto during the team’s first-round series. He was reportedly included in trade offers this summer as the Sixers tried to acquire Eric Gordon from the Rockets, but he’s come to accept that as part of life in the NBA.
“At this point, I would always want to stay in Philly,” he said. “And if it’s up to me, that’s always going to be my choice. But considering that I’ve realized the reality of how far out of my control it is, if I do get traded or something does end up happening, I can look at myself in the mirror at the end of the day.”
There’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer examines questions for 17 Sixers players ahead of training camp, including whether MVP runner-up Joel Embiid will accept more “load management” games, whether James Harden has regained his explosiveness after an offseason to rest his hamstring, and the impact of newcomers P.J. Tucker and De’Anthony Melton.
- The Knicks‘ signing of Jalen Brunson means Julius Randle will have to adjust to an off-the-ball role, notes Zach Braziller of The New York Post. Randle has been one of the team’s primary playmakers over the past three seasons, but Braziller expects him to see fewer isolation plays and more post-ups and spot-up shots.
- Juancho Hernangomez is the most likely Raptors player to make a breakthrough during the preseason, according to Eric Koreen of The Athletic. Hernangomez is coming off a strong performance at EuroBasket and provides size for a team that doesn’t have a lot of it. Koreen points to Malachi Flynn, Justin Champagnie, Dalano Banton and D.J. Wilson as other candidates.
Hawks Notes: Murray, Young, J. Johnson, McMillan
The Hawks are committed to fixing the defensive issues that held them back last season, and trading for Dejounte Murray is an important part of that effort, writes Aaron Wilson of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Atlanta paid a high price for Murray, sending three first-round picks and a future pick swap to the Spurs, but it landed a 26-year-old All-Star guard with a team-friendly contract.
Murray excelled at both ends of the court in San Antonio, averaging 21.1 points per game and leading the NBA in steals with 2.0 per night. He seems like an ideal backcourt partner for Trae Young and said he’s ready to set the defensive tone for his new teammates.
“Defense is about showing effort,” Murray said. “I will bring what I learned both as a leader and vocally as everyone buys in. Everyone has to buy in and push each other and seeing everyone showing up was good. Ready to go compete and earn my team’s trust in training camp.”
There’s more from Atlanta:
- Young was a strong advocate for acquiring Murray and he believes they can succeed together, per Lauren Williams of The Journal-Constitution. In four NBA seasons, Young has never played alongside another guard with Murray’s defensive skills. “It’s hard to point out what he’s great at, but he’s good at everything — like defense, scoring, passing, rebounding,” Young said. “I mean, he’s really good at everything. So just having somebody who’s going to be just as dependent as I am in the backcourt, which is going to be the fun, I can’t wait to get started.”
- Jalen Johnson looks forward to carving out a larger role after an offseason procedure to deal with tendinitis in his left knee, Williams adds in a separate story. The 20-year-old forward averaged just 5.5 minutes in 22 games as a rookie, and playing time may be even harder to come by with the offseason additions of Maurice Harkless and Frank Kaminsky. “He’s got to earn that opportunity,” coach Nate McMillan said. “He’s been here since August, and he’s working on doing that. He’s been playing and looking good. I thought last year, his play in the G League, he’s showing maturity and he’s showing some confidence and he’s looking forward to the challenge.”
- McMillan visited Young’s Oklahoma City home in June to talk about improving their communication for the upcoming season, according to Paul Newberry of The Associated Press. McMillan wants to see Young become more of a team leader on and off the court. “He’s the face of the franchise and it’s something that he has just inherited,” McMillan said. “He will have to work at it and become better.”
Pacers Waive Justin Anderson, Norvel Pelle
The Pacers have placed forward Justin Anderson and center Norvel Pelle on waivers, according to NBA.com’s transactions log. Both players signed with the team on Friday and appear headed to Indiana’s G League affiliate in Fort Wayne.
Anderson, 28, signed three 10-day contracts with the Pacers last season and spent time with the Cavaliers as well on a 10-day deal. He appeared in 13 games for Indiana, averaging 6.8 PPG in 20.7 minutes per night.
Pelle, 29, had a brief NBA appearance last season, getting into three games with the Jazz after inking a 10-day contract in January. He was waived by the Trail Blazers earlier this month.
The moves bring the Pacers’ roster back down to 18 players and create room for two more signings before the start of training camp on Tuesday.
Markelle Fultz To Miss Most Of Camp With Fractured Toe
Magic guard Markelle Fultz suffered a fracture in his left big toe during an offseason workout, the team announced (via Twitter).
Imaging confirmed the injury when Fultz arrived in Orlando. He won’t need surgery, but he’s expected to miss most of training camp, which starts on Tuesday, a source tells Khobi Price of The Orlando Sentinel.
Fultz is wearing a walking boot and will undergo a program of rehab and treatment. His projected return will depend on how the toe responds.
Injuries have been a recurring problem for the former No. 1 pick, who has played more than 19 games only once in his NBA career. Fultz missed much of last season while recovering from a torn ACL and wasn’t able to return until late February. He got into 18 games and averaged 10.8 points, 2.7 rebounds and 5.5 assists per night.
Warriors Notes: Wiseman, Looney, Green, Iguodala, DiVincenzo
The Warriors‘ first practice of the season was a valuable learning experience for James Wiseman, writes Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Wiseman closed today’s session by working one-on-one with starting center Kevon Looney while big man coach Dejan Milojević looked on. Wiseman could only watch last season while recovering from a knee injury, so just being on the court is an important step forward.
“Watching Loon the last couple years has helped James,” head coach Steve Kerr said. “But now playing against him, he’ll be able to see and feel those tricks of the trade Loon is so good with — flipping the screen, catching the ball in the pocket, (dribble handoffs), all those things.”
Wiseman enters his third NBA season as the primary backup for Looney and may even start a few games when Looney rests. Looney played every regular season and playoff game last year, and the team doesn’t want to put that kind of strain on him again.
“I definitely want to play 82 again,” Looney said. “But I’m not going to compromise myself to do it. If I feel like I don’t look good or the training staff thinks I’m not moving as well or something is nagging me, I’ll take the break. But if I’m healthy, I’m going to play. I’m not going to sit because it’s a back-to-back just cause. I’m 26. I feel good. I missed a lot of years, so I have some games to make up.”
There’s more on the Warriors:
- Kerr was encouraged by Draymond Green‘s performance in today’s practice session, Slater states in the same piece. Green came to training camp straight from the Olympics last year, but there were concerns he wouldn’t be as sharp without an offseason competition to push him. “His conditioning looked good, his body looked good,” Kerr said. “He was really moving well both laterally and sprint speed up and down the floor. He was mentoring the young guys, coaching them up in drill work. Then on the floor, the blue team — with Looney, (Stephen Curry), (Andrew Wiggins) — that group just demolished everybody.”
- The only player not at today’s practice was Andre Iguodala, who announced Friday that he will play one more year, Slater adds. Iguodala will report to practice Monday and will accompany the team on its trip to Japan. “He was planning on retirement,” Kerr explained. “This was sort of a last-minute decision for him. We gave him the freedom to do the things he already had scheduled. … His presence is going to mean the world to us. We have so many young guys. The more mentoring and coaching from within, the better.”
- The Warriors’ history of success played a big role in attracting free agent Donte DiVincenzo, tweets NBA journalist Mark Haynes. “I wanted to get back to that winning culture,” DiVincenzo said. “The joy of playing simple winning basketball. I think I thrive in that.”
Celtics Notes: Udoka, Grousbeck, Stevens, Centers
During a press conference on Friday, Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck said a law firm hired to investigate coach Ime Udoka’s intimate relationship with a female staff member uncovered “a volume of violations,” writes Jared Weiss of The Athletic. The team reached out to the law firm this summer after being made aware of the nature of the relationship. Grousbeck added that the investigation focused entirely on Udoka, and no one else in the organization is facing disciplinary action.
Grousbeck received the firm’s report on Wednesday and talked to several shareholders before deciding to impose a season-long suspension on Udoka that runs through June 30. He added that there is a “a significant financial penalty” that goes along with the suspension, but didn’t specify whether Udoka will go through the entire year without being paid.
“This felt right, but there’s no clear guidelines for any of this,” Grousbeck responded when asked whether Udoka should have been dismissed. “This is really a conscious, gut feel and being here 20 years.”
There’s more from Boston:
- Team president Brad Stevens‘ answer about the level of communication Udoka will have with the team during his suspension was troubling, contends Steve Buckley of The Athletic. “I’m not going to get into specifics of what I, how we’re moving forward with that,” Stevens said at the press conference. “But I will say that he’s got a lot of relationships with a lot of people. As we alluded to earlier, yesterday wasn’t an easy day for a lot of people in a lot of ways.” Buckley warns that any conversations between Udoka and the players could undermine 34-year-old interim coach Joe Mazzulla and recommends that the suspended coach should be banned from talking to them during the season.
- Stevens wasn’t interested in returning to his former job as head coach while Udoka is suspended, per Brian Robb of MassLive. Grousbeck brought up the idea, but Stevens believes he can better serve the team by staying in his current position and acting as an advisor to Mazzulla.
- Stevens told Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe that the Celtics won’t overreact to Robert Williams‘ injury by signing a veteran big man before giving a chance to players already on the roster. Washburn suggests that could mean more minutes for Luke Kornet and possibly two-way player Mfiondu Kabengele.
Stephen Silas Discusses Unexpected Challenges With Rockets
Stephen Silas didn’t know he was walking into a rebuilding situation when the Rockets hired him as their head coach prior to the 2020/21 season. Silas was taking over a team that had two perennial All-Stars in James Harden and Russell Westbrook and was coming off a long string of playoff appearances.
Both players recommended Silas for the job, but they both issued trade requests before the start of training camp, with Westbrook being shipped to Washington during the preseason and Harden forcing his way to Brooklyn after eight regular season games. Silas discusses that sudden transition, and all the challenges that followed, in an interview with Sam Amick of The Athletic.
“You’re trying to just tackle each situation as it came, whether it was the (Harden) stuff that you read in the paper or online and then having to answer questions about it, or the Russ stuff,” Silas said. “All those things weren’t exactly the things that I thought I was going to be talking about in my first few days as a head coach, and my first few days of training camp having to answer all those questions. But the task is there, and you just kind of do it. It’s hard to say that it was especially hard because I think it’s always going to be hard (laughs). But a task comes, there’s a mountain to climb, so you climb it. There’s a big wave coming in; you move out of the way.”
Silas also credited the Rockets’ ownership and general manager Rafael Stone for supporting him amid the turmoil.
“We were tested early, but my relationship with ownership, my relationship with management is good,” he added. “Through all of this kind of stuff that was going on, that was the thing that I was able to grasp onto and hold onto was knowing that they were in my corner because they selected me.”
Silas addressed several other topics during the interview:
On the progress of his young backcourt, Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr.:
“I think Jalen Green’s growth and improvement encapsulates our season. Early in the season, he was really struggling. He was pressing, not doing what he was used to doing, which is scoring points easily. And it was hard for him. But he worked through it. We stuck with him. And he got better slowly but surely as the season went along and ended up where at the end of the season, he was playing great. Same thing with Kevin Porter Jr. He started the season off turning the ball over quite a bit, learning how to play the point guard position. I think he led the league in turnovers early in the season, but as the season went along, he started to understand.”
On the challenges faced by center Alperen Sengun as he adjusted to the NBA during his rookie season:
“He makes things happen when he has the ball in his hands, whether he’s in the low post, scoring or making passes in the high post, at the elbow, making plays for his teammates. He does a good job of helping his teammates play well. But part of that growth and part of that struggle at the beginning of the season is that nobody knew how to play with him, and he didn’t know how to play with our guys. So as the season went along, it became more natural for guys to know when those passes are coming, and for him to know that this is where you’re gonna most likely get the ball and this is where you can be effective.”
On what he likes about Jabari Smith, the No. 3 pick in this year’s draft:
“He is a two-way player and very much a difference-maker as far as his length and his defensive instincts and his rebounding and his grit. He’s a quiet kid, and he can fool you sometimes. When he gets on the court, he is intense and competitive and has an edge to him — which I love. So yeah, his shooting is very good, and that will be his thing offensively, as well as his ability to shot fake and drive the ball and get to the rim, use his length, his offensive rebounding and whatnot. But it’s not very often when you have a high, high pick where you can say ‘Wow, he’s really good on both ends.’ And you can see it, where he could be a difference-maker on both ends of the floor.”
On his relationship with Harden and Westbrook, considering the circumstances of their departure:
“All three people who you mentioned (including former Rockets general manager Daryl Morey) had a big part in me being here and being a head coach in the NBA. So when I see them, there’s definitely no ill will. I’ve been around the NBA my whole life, so I understand the business part of it and everything that goes into that. But yeah, I’m good. I’m good with those guys, and I appreciate them for putting their stamp on my head coaching career.”
Knicks Notes: L. Rose, Brunson, Barrett, Thibodeau
Even though his pursuit of Donovan Mitchell fell through, Knicks president Leon Rose said on Friday in a television interview that he’s “thrilled” with the roster heading into training camp, relays Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. Bondy points out that Rose made his comments to MSG Network, which is owned by Knicks owner James Dolan. Under Dolan’s direction, the team has been boycotting outside media apart from sessions that are mandated by the league.
“We went through that process (of trying to trade for Mitchell) and at the end of the day we made a decision to stay put,” Rose said. “And we’re thrilled with where we are. Taking a look at the summer, we feel great about what transpired.”
Rose emphasized “internal stability” that was created by re-signing Mitchell Robinson, giving RJ Barrett a four-year, $107MM extension that carries the largest yearly salary in team history and retaining the team’s 11 first-round picks over the next seven years. Rose also touted the free agency addition of Jalen Brunson, who is being counted on to solve a long-standing problem at point guard.
“He fills one of the biggest voids that we have. The starting point guard,” Rose said. “That is such an important role on our team. We needed that person that was going stabilize us.”
There’s more from New York:
- Even though he got his extension, Barrett was treated poorly by the Knicks this summer, Bondy contends in a separate story. Barrett had to listen to weeks of rumors that he was headed to Utah as part of the package for Mitchell, and Bondy called the eventual extension announcement “sloppy” because it was tweeted by the team shortly after news broke that Mitchell was headed to Cleveland. The Knicks also didn’t have a press conference to celebrate Barrett’s extension because of Dolan’s media blackout.
- Coach Tom Thibodeau may start to feel some heat if the Knicks get off to a bad start, Bondy adds. Thibodeau was criticized last year for not trusting his young players, and he may become an easy scapegoat for management.
- Zach Braziller of The New York Post (subscription required) grades the Knicks’ offseason moves, giving high marks to the addition of Brunson (B+) and the signing of backup center Isaiah Hartenstein (A-). He was less enthusiastic about the decision to hang onto draft assets instead of cashing them in for Mitchell (C+) and cites the risks of giving $60MM over four years to Robinson considering his injury history (C-).
Magic Sign Aleem Ford, Zavier Simpson, Waive Joel Ayayi
The Magic have set their roster for the start of training camp, signing Aleem Ford and Zavier Simpson and placing Joel Ayayi on waivers, the team announced (via Twitter).
Ford, a 24-year-old small forward, got into five games after signing a 10-day contract with Orlando last December when the roster was ravaged by COVID-19. The former Wisconsin star played most of the season with the Magic’s G League affiliate in Lakeland, averaging 12.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 31 games.
Simpson, whose signing has been rumored since late July, started four games for the Thunder at the end of last season after inking a 10-day hardship contract in April. The 25-year-old point guard has played mainly in the G League since going undrafted out of Michigan in 2020.
Ayayi, a former two-way player with the Wizards, signed with Orlando 12 days ago and may be ticketed for the G League. The 22-year-old shooting guard saw limited playing time in seven games with Washington last season before being waived in March.
Celtics Re-Sign Brodric Thomas
Brodric Thomas is returning to the Celtics, according to a tweet from his representatives at Overtime. Thomas has officially re-signed with the team, per RealGM’s NBA transaction log.
Thomas appeared in 12 games for Boston last year as a two-way player. He spent most of the season with the team’s G League affiliate in Maine, averaging 14.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 22 games.
The 25-year-old shooting guard began his career with the Rockets in 2020 after going undrafted out of Truman State. He finished that season on a two-way contract with the Cavaliers, then signed another two-way deal with Cleveland last summer but was waived prior to the start of the regular season.
Thomas spent the 2022 offseason as a restricted free agent after receiving a qualifying offer in June. He had been considered a “strong candidate” to return to Boston, and today’s signing makes it official.
The move brings the Celtics to the offseason limit of 20 players. The team has just 10 fully guaranteed contracts, and Thomas will compete for a roster spot against players such as Noah Vonleh, Jake Layman, Justin Jackson, and Denzel Valentine.