Pacers Shopping Leaf, Increasing Oladipo’s Minutes Limit
While the Pacers are unlikely to make a major move, they are not going into the 2020 NBA trade deadline quietly. The team is sniffing around to see if there is a trade for T.J. Leaf, sources tell J. Michael of the Indianapolis Star.
Leaf was selected with the No. 18 overall pick in the 2017 draft. He’s never really carved out a consistent role with the club, given the presence of Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner on the roster. Now, the Pacers could look to trade him for a true stretch four, per Michael, though they are not expecting a major asset in return.
Leaf, who has appeared in 22 games for Indiana this season, is shooting 35.7% from three, though he’s only taken 14 attempts this season.
Minutes should be even tighter now with coach Nate McMillan and the Pacers medical staff increasing the minutes limit for Victor Oladipo, who returned from a gruesome leg injury just three games ago. The star will be capped at 28 minutes now instead of 24, writes Mark Montieth of Pacers.com.
Indiana had initially planned to re-evaluate Oladipo’s minutes restriction at the All-Star break, but is hoping that loosening that restriction will help him find a rhythm and break out of his shooting slump.
“We need to get him to that workload he needs to put on his knee,” head coach Nate McMillan said.
Elfrid Payton Among Three Suspended For Knicks-Grizzlies Fight
The NBA has handed out the punishments for the fourth-quarter scuffle between the Knicks and Grizzlies brawl on Wednesday night.
According to the league, Knicks guard Elfrid Payton has been suspended one game for pushing Jae Crowder at the end of the contest. Grizzlies players Jaren Jackson Jr. and Marko Guduric have each been suspended one game for leaving the bench.
Crowder, who took the late-game three-pointer that irked the Knicks, did not get suspended but instead will receive a $25K fine. Marcus Morris has also been fined $35K for his role in escalating the fight.
The Memphis players will serve their suspensions on Friday when the team plays the Pelicans in New Orleans. Payton will miss Saturday’s contest against the Pacers.
For more details on the altercation, be sure to check out our earlier story.
NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 1/30/20
Here are today’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- The Bucks have assigned Dragan Bender and D.J. Wilson to the Wisconsin Herd, per the team’s website. Bender, who was drafted by Phoenix with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2016 draft, has appeared in 10 G League games this season.
- The Cavaliers have sent Tyler Cook to the Canton Charge, according to the G League’s website. The big man has appeared in 11 games for Cleveland this year.
Eastern Notes: Simmons, Parker, Magic
The Sixers could reduce Ben Simmons‘ role as a primary ball-handler, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes.
“That needs to be continued to be grown,” coach Brett Brown said of the primary ball-handling role. “It will mean. It will mean. I’m not saying, ‘It may mean.’ I’m saying it will mean that he’s not the primary ball-handler when you put him in those situations …
“So really, it’s a goal and sort of the growth of Ben to put him in all these environments where he’s really good at and can impact the game at.”
Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:
- With the Sixers in action against Atlanta tonight, I examined which Hawks players Philadelphia should have interest in trading for. Jabari Parker might be the best fit, as the 76ers could use another scorer off the bench.
- Orlando’s grip on a playoff spot is slipping and Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel takes a look at what strategy the Magic should take heading to the trade deadline. The team could use another wing if it intends on being a buyer at the deadline.
- Should the Hornets trade Malik Monk? Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer gives his take on the former No. 11 pick.
NBA Announces 2020 All-Star Reserves
The NBA has announced the 2020 All-Star reserves. Let’s take a look at which players are going to Chicago from each conference.
Eastern Conference Reserves:
- Bam Adebayo, Heat
- Jimmy Butler, Heat
- Kyle Lowry, Raptors
- Khris Middleton, Bucks
- Domantas Sabonis, Pacers
- Ben Simmons, Sixers
- Jayson Tatum, Celtics
As a reminder, here are the starters from the East:
- Trae Young, Hawks
- Kemba Walker, Celtics
- Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks
- Pascal Siakam, Raptors
- Joel Embiid, Sixers
Western Conference Reserves:
- Rudy Gobert, Jazz
- Brandon Ingram, Pelicans
- Nikola Jokic, Nuggets
- Damian Lillard, Trail Blazers
- Donovan Mitchell, Jazz
- Chris Paul, Thunder
- Russell Westbrook, Rockets
As a reminder, here are the starters from the West:
- James Harden, Rockets
- Luka Doncic, Mavericks
- LeBron James, Lakers
- Kawhi Leonard, Clippers
- Anthony Davis, Lakers
Do you agree with the selections or should another player have gotten the nod? Take to the comment section below to share your thoughts and opinions. We look forward to what you have to say!
Richaun Holmes, Marvin Bagley Injury Updates
Richaun Holmes has been out since January 7 with a shoulder injury and he was expected to be ready to return this week. However, it doesn’t appear like that’s going to happen, as coach Luke Walton said the center has not practiced yet (Twitter link via Jason Jones of The Athletic).
Walton said Holmes is improving, but he won’t play until he can practice. The setback is troubling for the Kings. If they have any hope to make the postseason, they’ll need Holmes to contribute.
Holmes signed with Sacramento this offseason and before getting hurt, he was arguably the team’s best player. The 26-year-old big man sports a 21.1 player efficiency rating and a still team-leading 4.6 win shares.
Walton also addressed the status of Marvin Bagley III. He remains out with a foot injury. The 2018 No. 2 overall pick has only played in 13 games for the Kings this season.
Atlantic Notes: Jordan, Celtics, Sixers, Kobe
Nets center DeAndre Jordan is set to make his return to the court on Wednesday against Detroit, Malika Andrews of ESPN.com tweets. Jordan has been out since January 20 with a dislocated finger.
Here’s more from out of the Atlantic Division:
- The Celtics could benefit from having one more experienced role player, Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports contends. Boston’s need for an eighth or ninth man could be exposed come playoff time.
- Javonte Green‘s play has made Brad Stevens‘ rotation decisions more difficult, Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald writes. “I’m just here to do what the coach asks. Even if I’m not playing I’m going to do my best to pick up my teammates from the bench. He put me in there to just do my job,” said Green.
- The Sixers paid tribute to Kobe Bryant in multiple ways on Tuesday, as I wrote for Heavy.com. Joel Embiid wore No. 24 in the game against the Warriors, scoring 24 points. The big man hit a fadeaway and yelled “KOBE” during the contest.
NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 1/28/20
Here are Tuesday’s assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- The Wizards have recalled Admiral Schofield from the Capital City Go-Go, per the team’s Twitter feed. Schofield was a second-round pick in the 2019 draft.
- The Celtics are bringing Romeo Langford back from the G League. They’ve recalled him, per Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports (Twitter link).
- The Spurs have recalled Keldon Johnson from the Austin Spurs, Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News tweets. Johnson was the No. 29 overall pick in the 2019 draft.
- The Clippers have assigned Derrick Walton Jr. and Terance Mann to the Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario, per the team. Los Angeles hasn’t practiced in several days but is expected to hold practice tomorrow.
- The Jazz have assigned Nigel Williams-Goss, Juwan Morgan, and Miye Oni to the G League, according to the league’s transaction log. All three are were just with the Salt Lake City Stars over the weekend.
Wizards Notes: Grant, Trades, Hachimura
The Wizards are in position to make some moves at the deadline, and if that happens the team could call up a few of its G League players. Shane Connuck of Wizards Xtra breaks down which players could get an opportunity with Washington, including Jerian Grant, who has been with the Go-Go for most of the season.
Here’s more from Washington:
- The Wizards have made a trade leading up to trade deadline in each of the past 10 seasons, NBC Sports Washington’s Chase Hughes writes. The team dealt Markieff Morris and Otto Porter Jr. in separate trades a year ago. This is Tommy Sheppard‘s first year as the team’s new head of basketball operations, so it’ll be interesting to see if he’s as active at the deadline as Ernie Grunfeld was.
- Rui Hachimura is getting close to returning to the court, as Hughes relays in another piece. The rookie went through a full practice without any limitations over the weekend.
- Hachimura spoke about Kobe Bryant‘s impact on him, telling the media that Bryant was his hero (via Mike DePrisco of NBC Sports). “Three years ago, during [the] Final Four, [Bryant gave] a special pair of shoes as a surprise to the team. Not only that, he talked about what Mamba Mentality is and what people should be before basketball players,” Hachimura said. “He was more than just a basketball player.”
Josh Jackson On Grizzlies: They Kept Their Word
The Grizzlies acquired Josh Jackson over the summer via a trade with the Suns and decided the best course of action was to send the former No. 4 overall pick to the G League and allow him to work on his game. The team promised he would be given an opportunity at the next level if he made strides and Memphis made good on that promise earlier this week.
“They kept their word,” Jackson said, as Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian relays on Twitter.
During his time with the Memphis Hustle this season, Jackson made 38.0% of his shots from behind the arc on 6.6 attempts per game. Clearly, the franchise wanted him to work on this part of his game and he’s produced solid results.
“I’m learning a lot down here,” Jackson told Marc Spears of the Undefeated earlier this month. “I’m gaining confidence. I am working on things that I couldn’t do before. That was like one of the main things that me and the organization talked about in making this decision, was for me to work on a lot of other things.”
Jackson, who was charged last spring with escape and resisting arrest, is also maturing off the court. He recently addressed the arrest, vowing to be better in the future, telling Spears that he would have done “a bunch of things” differently if he could go back and do it all over again.
“I will never make the same mistake twice whether on the court or off the court, especially playing,” Jackson said.