Central Notes: McMillan, Bulls, Buford
Pacers coach Nate McMillan has been preparing his team to play basketball again as best as he can, as Akeem Glaspie of the Indianapolis Star relays.
Not all players on the Pacers have been on equal footing during the hiatus, however. Victor Oladipo and Malcolm Brogdon are among those who have basketball courts at their homes or an established nearby place. Others, like Goga Bitadze, are living in apartments without access to gyms.
Here’s more from the Central Division:
- How will the Bulls‘ new front office operate? K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports envisions a collaborative approach, similar to Arturas Karnisovas’ stints with Denver and Houston.
- Jon Greenberg of The Athletic takes a look at the Bulls‘ past and wonders whether the new leadership is going to bring more success to Chicago. The scribe believes the new regime can be successful, though he notes that having a “players first” mentality would suit the newcomers well.
- The Bucks have locked in Chase Buford to coach their G League squad for another season, the team announced on its website. “Chase has done a tremendous job in his first season at the helm,” said Milwaukee Bucks VP of basketball operations and Wisconsin Herd GM Dave Dean. “As an organization, we’re thrilled to have Chase return for a second season, and we look forward to his leadership and continued development as we build off the current campaign.”
Eastern Notes: Ntilikina, Bryant, Cavs, Lowry
Frank Ntilikina hasn’t lived up to the hype of being the Knicks‘ No. 8 overall pick back in 2017, but some around the league believe the 21-year-old still has a future in the NBA — even if it’s not with New York.
“If (the) Knicks move him or let him walk, teams will take a chance,” one Western Conference scout tells Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic. “… Maybe his role moving forward is a high-level defender off the bench that you can stick him in the corner. That could be his calling … Depends on coach and system to find the right place to play.”
Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:
- Thomas Bryant‘s value on the trade market could be limited, John Hollinger writes in a piece on The Athletic. The former executive believes the Wizards would have a hard time landing a first-rounder without taking back a bad contract, though multiple second-rounders may be in the cards.
- The Cavaliers may be wise to explore moving down in the draft, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com explains. The top of the draft is loaded with guards and bigs, while Cleveland is badly in need of a long-term option at the wing.
- Blake Murphy of The Athletic wonders how long 34-year-old Kyle Lowry can remain as productive for the Raptors. LeBron James and Chris Paul are the only 33-and-older players who had more win shares this past year than Lowry.
Wizards Notes: Draft, Avdiji, Hachimura, Giles
Deni Avdija, who is expected to go in the top 10 of the NBA draft, plays the style of basketball that the Wizards like, as Chase Hughes of NBC Sports details. His versatility and passing skills would fit well in Washington’s system, though his lack of shooting and rebounding may force the franchise to look at other options in the draft.
Here’s more from Washington:
- The Wizards may see Rui Hachimura as their best young prospect on the roster, but former NBA executive John Hollinger believes that distinction goes to Troy Brown, as he explains on The Athletic. Brown, who is nearly 18 months younger than Hachimura, has play-making skills and Hollinger is curious why the young team didn’t feature the 20-year-old more often.
- Washington is hoping that Hachimura can improve on defense and be the team’s go-to defender for larger wings, Hollinger passes along in the same piece.
- The Wizards were terrible on the defensive end in 2019/20, but the franchise is hoping to acquire a rim protector this summer. Hollinger notes that either Thomas Bryant or Moritz Wagner could find themselves on another team as a result of Washington’s pursuit of a big.
- Harry Giles is a name to watch for the Wizards’ mid-level exception, Hollinger relays in the same piece. JaVale McGee is another name worth monitoring, though the former executive cautions that it may not be feasible for the Wizards to use all of their mid-level, as they don’t want to enter the tax.
Draft Notes: Hill, Hammonds, Montgomery
The NBA has postponed the draft lottery, which means we will need to wait even longer to find out who will net the No. 1 pick in the 2020 draft.
If the regular season doesn’t resume, the Warriors, Cavaliers, and Timberwolves will each have a 14% shot at the top spot, as our Reverse Standings show. There’s no consensus on who the top prospect is, a la the 2013 draft, though the overall talent is expected to be better than that class.
Let’s take a look at more notes on the upcoming draft:
- UCLA’s Jalen Hill is taking his name out of the 2020 NBA draft, according to Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times. The 6’10” defensive-minded big will return to school for his junior campaign (redshirt).
- Georgia forward Rayshaun Hammonds is signing with agent Billy Davis of Family of Athletes, meaning he won’t be returning to college, Evan Daniels of 247 Sports tweets.
- EJ Montgomery is staying in the draft. The Kentucky forward signed with the Wasserman Group, as the agency posts on its Twitter feed.
NBA Remains Optimistic About 2019/20 Season Even With Further Delay
The overwhelming majority of high-level executives remain encouraged and optimistic that the NBA will resume this season, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com.
Commissioner Adam Silver has maintained a strong relationship with the National Basketball Players Association as all parties aim to return to basketball. Still, there are many hurdles to overcome in order to resume the season.
Silver previously said that no decision will be made before May 1. That doesn’t mean the commissioner will be making any announcements on Friday, though there’s a bit of restlessness within the league to come to a decision sooner than later, Woj notes.
The MGM Grand in Las Vegas is one of several suitors pitching a plan to host the league. Vegas could potentially also host the WNBA by providing three adjacent hotels for teams to stay at. Disney World in Orlando, Florida remains an option that is gaining momentum. Another proposal would see games played in “pods” across different regions.
Having fans in the stands is probably out of the question. Having cameramen may not be needed either, as sources tell Wojnarowski that the teams could rely on robotic cameras with new, innovative angles of the contests.
TV analysts could potentially call games from remote locations. The current discussions have included keeping teams at a 30-to-35 person head count, including players.
There is some support for the 2020/21 season to begin in December and run through July or August, as a way of resuming the 2019/20 season without dramatically hindering the league’s ability to complete the full ’20/21 calendar. There’s also the understanding that the further the NBA pushes this season back, the higher the chances of having fans in the stands at some point.
The NBA is still sorting out scenarios, but Silver may have to push forward with a decision without the backing of everyone. One GM told Woj that “it’s hard to lead by consensus in a crisis.” Silver may have to simply act in what he feels are the best interests of all parties, even if there are some that have different preferences.
Testing for the coronavirus is another issue. Silver has insisted that he couldn’t allow for the NBA to utilize all the available tests and – according to Woj – has instituted a mandate stating that if a player wasn’t showing symptoms, he shouldn’t be tested. Woj reports that the league would have to reverse course on that and that it would take approximately 15,000 tests to complete the season. While the NBA can afford to pay a private company to make those tests, it would be problematic for the league if they’re not widely available to the American public.
It’s nearing two months since the league suspended its season and the urgency to come to a solution continues to rise.
Draft Notes: Perry, Hagans, Ball, Wiseman
Mississippi State’s Reggie Perry has signed with CAA Sports and will remain in the draft, Evan Daniels of 247 Sports reports (Twitter link). Perry is No. 46 on ESPN’s Big Board and ranks No. 7 among centers.
Here’s more from the upcoming draft:
- Ashton Hagans will also sign with CAA Sports and will remain in the draft, Daniels tweets. The Kentucky guard is No. 48 on ESPN’s Big Board.
- LaMelo Ball would be a nice selection for Detroit if the Pistons climb into the top three in the NBA draft, James L. Edwards of The Athletic writes. The Pistons have not drafted a point guard in the first round since they selected Brandon Knight, who was the No. 8 overall pick in the 2011 draft.
- One rival scout believes James Wiseman would be in consideration for the Pistons with their No. 1 pick, as Edwards adds in the same piece. “I think they need a little bit of everything, right? He’s an athletic center with the ability to step out a little bit,” the scout said.
Thunder Notes: Donovan, Practice Facility, Dort
Billy Donovan is in the final year of his contract with the Thunder, but GM Sam Presti says that he expects the two sides to have “positive” conversations about the coach’s future with the club, as Maddie Lee of The Oklahoman passes along.
“Obviously this is a unique situation for everybody,” Presti said to Lee and the local media during a conference call. “We’ve always been really proud of the fact that Billy’s been our coach. He’s been our coach now for five years, and I think he’s done an excellent job all five years. And our hope is that once we get some clarity on if this is the end of the season, or if we’re playing more, or what have you, we’ll sit down and have those conversations that we always have.”
“…I’m confident that at the right time we will be able to sit down and have a positive conversation with Billy about his future.”
Here’s more from Oklahoma City:
- The league has targeted May 8 as the first day that teams can open their facilities, but Presti would not commit to the Thunder starting back up on that date, as Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman relays. “With respect to the May 8 date, what I can say is the league has stated that’s a target date,” Presti said. “And we’re still a week or so away from that before we can even get there. And I think what we’ve all seen that live through this experience is that things are changing literally day by day. So we’re evaluating that. I wouldn’t say we’re committed to doing that.”
- In the same piece, Presti said that he doesn’t believe teams that return earlier will gain an advantage over those that return later. “And I don’t mean from a basketball standpoint, I just mean in general,” Presti explained. “And a big part of that is because the amount of uncertainty that everyone is working with. You could make the argument that coming back too soon is a disadvantage, you know what I mean? I think it all depends on how you’re defining that.”
- In a separate piece, Lee details how Luguentz Dort ended up with the Thunder. The rookie, who is on a two-way contract, appeared in 29 games for Oklahoma City this past year.
LaMelo Ball Declares For NBA Draft
Potential No. 1 overall pick LaMelo Ball has declared for the NBA draft, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. The declaration is simply a formality as Ball was expected to enter the 2020 draft for quite some time.
The 6’7″ point guard opted not to go the traditional route on his journey to the league, playing in Australia rather than suiting up for a team in the NCAA. Ball only appeared in 12 games while playing for the Illawarra Hawks because of a foot injury, though he did well enough to earn the league’s Rookie of the Year award.
Ball, who averaged 17.0 PPG, 7.5 RPG, and 7.0 APG in the NBL, with multiple triple-doubles, is viewed as a near-lock to be a top-five pick in the 2020 NBA draft, as our own Luke Adams recently explained. He’s currently the No. 2 overall prospect on ESPN’s big board and has reportedly tabbed Roc Nation for his representation.
In total, 205 early entrants declared for the 2020 draft, according to the NBA, though more than half will likely withdraw before draft day. Ball and fellow NBL prospects RJ Hampton and Kouat Noi aren’t counted among those 205 early entrants, having been listed in an “also eligible” section in the memo sent to teams by the league, tweets ESPN’s Jonathan Givony.
Community Shootaround: Best Young Building Block
Tim Bontemps of ESPN.com asked 20 people within the NBA community, including coaches, executives, and scouts about which player they’d want to build around in the future. Each was asked to rank the following players: Zion Williamson, Luka Doncic, Ja Morant, and Trae Young.
The overwhelming majority selected Doncic, as he received 17 first-place votes and tallied the three second-place votes where he wasn’t the top choice. Morant was the top choice for two people and Williamson for just one.
“I don’t know if Luka can be any better than he is,” an Eastern Conference executive said. “He’s really good. But I think this might be who he is — which is very good.
“But Ja can get better in terms of his shooting, his team will get better around him and he makes players better around him. I think he can affect the game at both ends.”
Morant, who went No. 2 overall in the 2019 draft, getting more first-place votes than Williamson is surprising.
“Health,” said a Western Conference scout when asked why he ranked Williamson third among the four young stars. “He’d be (No. 1) otherwise.
How would you rank the four players if given the chance to start a franchise with a young star? Take to the comment section below to share your thoughts and opinions. We look forward to hearing what you have to say!
John Calipari Talks G League’s Ascension
Top prospects continue to flock to the G League as an alternative to a one-and-done season on a college team. Earlier today, it was reported that Daishen Nix will become the third prospect to join the G League’s new Select Team, which will be based in Southern California, following in the footsteps of Jalen Green and Isaiah Todd.
Kentucky head coach John Calipari isn’t happy about the movement, though his concerns go beyond the fact that it takes away talent from his program.
“My issue with the G League trying to entice players by giving them more money, is not the kids that you’re getting,” Calipari said this week, as Jon Hale of USA Today relays. “It’s the thousands of ninth and 10th graders that think that’s how they’re going to make it, when you and I know it’s going to be 2%. We’re not talking 50. It will be thousands and thousands and thousands.”
Calipari believes that if young high schoolers see this as a feasible route, they will give up on their studies years before hitting college age. If most high-school prospects continue to play in the NCAA, players will have to remain focused on getting high enough grades to attend those colleges.
The Kentucky coach, who has been an advocate for allowing high school players to enter the draft, doesn’t think that most kids realize how finite the chances are of making a living in basketball is.