Kawhi Leonard Completes Team USA’s Star-Studded Roster For Olympics
Team USA has completed its selection of an All-Star laden 12-player roster for the 2024 Paris Olympics, Shams Charania and Joe Vardon of The Athletic report (Twitter link). Kawhi Leonard was chosen for the final roster spot, USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt tweets.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Monday the 11 other selections for the roster. Team USA received a firm commitment from Leonard on Tuesday, Wojnarowski tweets.
Unlike USA Basketball’s FIBA World Cup roster last summer, which lacked size and interior strength, the Olympic roster is filled with quality bigs. Joel Embiid, Bam Adebayo and Anthony Davis will be joined at the power positions by LeBron James and Kevin Durant.
The wings will be manned by Jayson Tatum, Leonard, Devin Booker and Anthony Edwards. Jrue Holiday, Tyrese Haliburton and Stephen Curry round out the backcourt.
Haliburton and Edwards are the only players from the FIBA World Cup roster to make Team USA’s Olympic roster.
Team USA has won the gold medal in each of the last four Summer Olympics.
Potential Lottery Pick Ron Holland To Enter Draft
G League Ignite wing Ron Holland, a potential lottery selection, will enter the draft, he told ESPN’s Jonathan Givony.
The 6’7” Holland averaged 19.5 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.3 steals per game for the Ignite this season after decommitting from Texas last spring. Holland is currently rated No. 13 overall on ESPN’s Best Available list.
“This season was an opportunity to learn and grow,” Holland said. “Emotionally, all the losing was draining, but it helped me grow mentally learning my role, how to play and letting the game come to me.”
In past years, players who joined the Ignite became automatically draft-eligible after their first season or during the calendar year in which they turned 19, but the NBA’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement tweaked that rule so that those prospects now won’t become draft-eligible until they enter of their own accord or until the calendar year when they turn 22. That’s why Holland has to declare for the draft.
Holland’s stock has slipped a bit, since he rated No. 2 in the ESPN 100 back in 2023. He said he plans on reminding NBA scouts during the pre-draft process why he was so highly touted prior to joining the Ignite, which won only six of 50 games. The Ignite program, which was created to develop prospects, will be disbanded.
“Nothing has changed with me,” Holland said. “I’m still the same competitor who won two gold medals with USA Basketball, won AAU tournaments and state championships, and was on the No. 1 team in high school basketball. I’m going to keep doing what it takes to win games, diving on the floor for loose balls and making 50/50 plays. I can defend every position and [I’ve] improved as a facilitator quite a bit playing with other great players.”
Holland’s season was cut short by a ruptured tendon in his right thumb, forcing him to miss the Ignite’s final 19 games. He said he was cleared for full basketball activities several weeks ago.
Eastern Notes: Krejci, Donovan, Brunson, Anunoby, Walker
The Hawks, who will face the Bulls in the play-in tournament on Tuesday, could have promoted two-way player Vit Krejci to a standard contract and made him eligible for the postseason. They chose not to do so, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Lauren Williams reports.
Williams says one of the reasons for the decision is the Hawks are weighing the fact that Krejci will be a restricted free agent in the offseason, which gives them the right of first refusal. They hope to retain him on a four-year deal, beginning next season, Williams adds (Twitter links).
Because this is Krejci’s third NBA season, he would have been eligible for restricted free agency this summer even if Atlanta had converted him to a standard deal, so it’s hard to believe that was the primary motivating factor.
Promoting Krejci would have required Atlanta to cut a player from its standard 15-man roster, and while there was no one obvious candidate to be waived, Krejci has played more minutes as of late than several Hawks reserves.
We have more from the Eastern Conference:
- As for the Bulls, coach Billy Donovan admits the season didn’t play out the way the organization hoped, K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago relays. The Bulls finished with an offensive rating of 114, which ranked 20th, Johnson notes, while their top-five defense from last season dropped to No. 22, having allowed 115.7 points per 100 possessions. “Organizationally, is this where we want to be going forward? No, we want to be in a situation where you’re making deep playoff runs. We’re not that right now,” Donovan said. “But I give our guys a lot of credit for fighting and competing and giving ourselves an opportunity to advance.”
- The combination of Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby has been dazzling, Zach Braziller of the New York Post notes. The Knicks are 19-2 when both have played. Entering Sunday’s game, an overtime win over the Bulls, the team had a net rating of +24.7 and an offensive rating of 125.8 spanning 599 minutes when the duo shared the court. Brunson poured in 40 points on Sunday while Anunoby added 11. They also combined for 11 assists and 13 rebounds for the Knicks, who enter the postseason as a No. 2 seed.
- Lonnie Walker is headed to unrestricted free agency again after playing on a one-year deal with the Nets. Walker is just looking to land on a team that will be give him steady playing time, Clutch Points’ Erik Slater tweets. “I’m just looking for a home… Just looking for a team that finds me valuable,” he said. Walker appeared in 57 games off the bench for Brooklyn.
Ott, Stackhouse, Ivey To Interview For Hornets Job
The Hornets have added Lakers assistant Jordan Ott and former Vanderbilt coach Jerry Stackhouse to their list of head coaching candidates, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.
Ott has been with the Lakers since Darvin Ham brought him in as an assistant in September 2022. He was previously on the Nets’ staff.
Stackhouse was hired by the Commodores in 2019 and fired last month. The former All-Star guard has also been an assistant with the Raptors and Grizzlies and was also the head coach of the G League 905 Raptors.
Rockets assistant Royal Ivey will also be interviewed, according to the Houston Chronicle’s Jonathan Feigen. Ivey was also a Nets assistant for three seasons before joining coach Ime Udoka with the Rockets this season. Ivey has also been an assistant with the Thunder and Knicks.
Denver’s David Adelman, Boston’s Charles Lee, Sacramento’s Jordi Fernandez, the Clippers’ Jay Larranaga, Phoenix’s Kevin Young and Kings G League coach Lindsey Harding have also been identified as candidates to be interviewed for Charlotte’s position. Steve Clifford announced prior to the end of the season that he’d be stepping down.
Western Notes: Williamson, Wolves, Prosper, Tate
The 44-point loss to the Lakers during the in-season tournament proved to be a turning point for the Pelicans, according to Christian Clark of the New Orleans Times Picayune. Zion Williamson was heavily criticized by announcers and analysts for subpar conditioning and he took those harsh words to heart. Williamson appeared in his 70th game of the season on Sunday, a career high.
“I feel great,” Williamson said prior to the Pelicans’ loss to the Lakers on Sunday. “I’m having fun. In terms of stacking my days, it’s doing all the little things. Recovery. Extra recovery. Conditioning. Extra conditioning. Then when we are in practice, bringing a high intensity, so my body can be used to that.”
The December loss also inspired the rest of the Pelicans. “Sometimes you need to get your (butt) kicked on a national stage,” CJ McCollum said. “You hope it doesn’t happen. But when it does, it’s really interesting to see how everyone responds. You got two things you can do: You can fold or you can rise to the occasion. I think we have a group that genuinely rose to the occasion.”
The Lakers and Pelicans will match up once again during the play-in tournament on Tuesday.
We have more from the Western Conference:
- The Timberwolves are a more mature team heading into this year’s playoffs, Chip Scoggins of the Star Tribune opines. They don’t have any major injury issues at the moment and Scoggins doesn’t feel the team’s ownership dispute will be a distraction. The Timberwolves have earned respect around the league and created a buzz in their home state but need a strong playoff run to validate their regular season showing.
- Mavericks rookie Olivier-Maxence Prosper received his first career start on Sunday. Prosper had a 16-point, six-rebound, two-steal outing in 29 minutes against the Pistons on Sunday. He spent a good portion of the season in the G League and believes that fostered his development, Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News writes. “You guys know my story this year,” he said. “Playing up and down in the G – I see the improvement in my game. I see how much more comfortable I feel out there and more poised.”
- The Rockets’ win over the Trail Blazers on Friday proved to be a nice payday for forward Jae’Sean Tate. He gained a $500K bonus due to his team winning 40 games this season, ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets.
NBA’s Play-In Field, Top-Six Playoff Seeds Set
The NBA wrapped up its 2023/24 regular season on Sunday, and the teams and seeds for this year’s play-in tournament have been set.
Boston secured the top seed in the Eastern Conference and home court advantage throughout the playoffs early this month. The top seed for the Western Conference playoffs went down to the wire, with upstart Oklahoma City securing that status on Sunday afternoon.
Here are the play-in matchups:
Eastern Conference
Wednesday, April 17
- Game 1: Miami Heat (8) at Philadelphia 76ers (7), 7:00 pm ET
- Winner secures No. 7 seed; loser plays on Friday.
- Game 2: Atlanta Hawks (10) at Chicago Bulls (9), 9:30 pm ET
- Winner plays on Friday; loser is eliminated.
Friday, April 19
- Winner of Game 2 at Loser of Game 1, TBD
- Winner secures No. 8 seed; loser is eliminated.
Western Conference
Tuesday, April 16
- Game 1: Los Angeles Lakers (8) at New Orleans Pelicans (7), 7:30 pm ET
- Winner secures No. 7 seed; loser plays on Friday.
- Game 2: Golden State Warriors (10) at Sacramento Kings (9), 10:00 pm ET
- Winner plays on Friday; loser is eliminated.
Friday, April 19
- Winner of Game 2 at Loser of Game 1, TBD
- Winner secures No. 8 seed; loser is eliminated.
Once the Nos. 7 and 8 seeds in each conference are set later this week, the eight first-round matchups will be finalized. Those first-round series will tip off on April 20 and 21.
Here are the top six seeds in each conference, along with the matchups that are locked in so far (and Game 1 info, per the NBA):
Eastern Conference
- Boston Celtics (1) vs. No. 8 seed (play-in) ^
- New York Knicks (2) vs. No. 7 seed (play-in) *
- Milwaukee Bucks (3) vs. Indiana Pacers (6) ^
- Cleveland Cavaliers (4) vs. Orlando Magic (5) *
* Series begins on April 20.
^ Series begins on April 21.
Western Conference
- Oklahoma City Thunder (1) vs. No. 8 seed (play-in) ^
- Denver Nuggets (2) vs. No. 7 seed (play-in) *
- Minnesota Timberwolves (3) vs. Phoenix Suns (6) *
- Los Angeles Clippers (4) vs. Dallas Mavericks (5) ^
* Series begins on April 20.
^ Series begins on April 21.
Northwest Notes: Connelly, Murray, Jokic, McDaniels, Towns
Tim Connelly helped to build the Nuggets’ championship team. He has also been instrumental in turning the Timberwolves into one of the Western Conference’s top clubs. However, Minnesota’s president of basketball operations technically has the ability to move on to another organization, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported on FanDuel’s Run It Back program (video link).
The dispute between current Timberwolves majority owner Glen Taylor and minority owners Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore could cause Connelly to weigh his future in Minnesota.
“Tim Connelly has an opt-out in his contract after the season,” Charania said. “After year two, it was supposed to line up with this ownership transfer with Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore taking this team over.”
Connelly signed a five-year contract with the organization in 2022. Charania adds that Minnesota’s owners could rip up his current deal and give him an extension.
We have more from the Northwest Division:
- In an interview with Altitude TV’s Katy Winge (Twitter link), Jamal Murray said he’d like to spend his entire career with the Nuggets. “I love Denver, I want to be here for the rest of my career,” he said. Murray’s current contract runs through next season. He can earn super-max contract eligibility if he makes an All-NBA team in 2024/25; he has missed too many games to qualify this season.
- The Nuggets defeated the Timberwolves, 116-107, in a huge Western Conference showdown on Wednesday. Nikola Jokic likely locked up his third league MVP with a signature 41-point masterpiece, The Athletic’s Tony Jones notes. “I think we are on the right path,” Jokic said. “I think we are playing well. I like how everyone is locked in and focused, especially on the defensive end. I think we are at the point where everyone knows where to go, and everyone knows their job. We played really good defense tonight, especially in important moments. I really like the way we are playing.”
- Karl-Anthony Towns is expected to return before the regular season ends. Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels said the team will get an “extra boost” when he’s back in the lineup. “We’ve just been trying to hold down the fort until he gets back,” McDaniels told Sportskeeda’s Mark Medina. “We’ve been doing pretty well. It shows how deep our team is. All of us can play. All of us are versatile. When he comes back, he will give us that extra boost. He will be another unicorn on our team. We’re going to love to have him back.”
Pacific Notes: O’Neale, Allen, Hyland, Leonard, Monk, Sabonis
Suns coach Frank Vogel switched up his rotation in the team’s 124-108 win over the Clippers on Wednesday, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic reports. Royce O’Neale was inserted into the lineup in place of Grayson Allen, while Thaddeus Young replaced Drew Eubanks as the backup center.
However, the Suns could go right back to Allen as the starter against Sacramento on Friday. “It’s just something we’ve been talking about,” Vogel said. “If we get into a playoff matchup where we have a bigger opponent, then we feel like (O’Neale’s) size in the starting lineup is something that would make sense. We didn’t want to go to that with Grayson coming off the bench for the first time having never done it. We used this one game to let Grayson just feel the rhythm of coming off the bench, if it’s needed in the playoffs.”
We have more from the Pacific Division:
- Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Ivica Zubac and Norman Powell sat out the second game of a back-to-back on Wednesday. Bones Hyland carried the Clippers‘ offense in their absence, pumping in a career-high 37 points, Janis Carr of the Orange County Register notes. Leonard sat out his sixth consecutive game because of inflammation in his right knee. He might not return until the postseason but coach Tyronn Lue believes his superstar forward will be ready to go by that point.
- Kings guard Malik Monk was the solid frontrunner for the Sixth Man of the Year award until he suffered a sprained MCL in his right knee late last month. Center Domantas Sabonis said Monk still deserves the honor. “Monk has to win it,” Sabonis told HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto. “If he doesn’t win it, it’s rigged. He definitely brings energy and light. If we’re down, he’s always up and in a good mood off the court, too, so that really helps during a long season with ups and downs.” Coach Mike Brown concurs. “It should not even be a debate on Sixth Man of the Year with Malik’s body of work and us fighting for a playoff spot,” Brown said. “He should be the hands-down winner.”
- Monk will be an unrestricted free agent after the season. Sacramento has Early Bird rights on Monk and can sign him up to $78MM over four years. “I’d love to play here again, for sure. I’ve been here for two years and made friends with everyone, including the training staff and front office,” Monk told Scotto. Sabonis said the organization can’t afford to lose him: “We’ve got to keep him. He’s a big piece for us moving forward.”
- Sabonis saw his 61-game double-double streak end on Tuesday, Cliff Brunt of The Associated Press writes. He had eight points and 13 rebounds against Oklahoma City. It’s the seventh-longest streak in league history and the longest since the NBA and ABA merged prior to the 1976/77 season.
Giannis Antetokounmpo To Miss Rest Of Regular Season With Left Soleus Strain
APRIL 10, 4:50pm: According to the Bucks (Twitter link), an MRI confirmed that Antetkounmpo sustained a left soleus strain on Tuesday. He will miss the final three games of the regular season and will receive “daily treatment and evaluation,” per the team, with no return timeline provided.
APRIL 10, 6:42am: Antetokounmpo hasn’t sustained any damage to his left Achilles tendon, league sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
While that’s good news for the Bucks and their star forward, Charania notes (via Twitter) that calf strains typically necessitate a recovery timeline of at least a week or two. Antetokounmpo’s return to play will be based on how his calf responds to treatment and rehab, Charania adds.
APRIL 9: Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo will undergo an MRI on his strained left calf, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.
Antetokounmpo injured himself merely jogging up the court during the third quarter against the Celtics on Tuesday. He crumbled to the ground in the backcourt and grabbed his left leg. He was carried back to the locker room by teammates, ESPN’s Jamal Collier writes.
The injury has been described as a left soleus strain. The soleus is a muscle in the back part of the calf.
Milwaukee coach Doc Rivers said after the game that his franchise player would also have his Achilles tendon evaluated, Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel tweets. “So, we’re just gonna hope for the best,” Rivers said.
It’s an ominous development with the postseason fast approaching. Antetokounmpo missed two games during the first round of the playoffs last season due to a back injury. Miami upset top-seeded Milwaukee, 4-1.
Antetokounmpo was listed on the injury report prior to Tuesday’s game with left hamstring tendinopathy before being upgraded to probable. Milwaukee defeated Boston to strengthen its hold on the second seed in the Eastern Conference. The Bucks had lost their previous four games.
Southwest Notes: Morant, JJJ, Bane, G. Williams, Mavs, Williamson
A Tennessee judge ruled Monday that Grizzlies star Ja Morant properly raised self-defense in a lawsuit filed by a teenager he punched in July 2022, ESPN’s Baxter Holmes reports. The altercation occurred during a pickup game at Morant’s home.
The judge ruled the Grizzlies’ guard “enjoys a presumption of civil immunity” under Tennessee’s self-defense immunity statute and that the burden of proof shifts to his accuser, Joshua Holloway, whose legal team must prove that Morant didn’t act in self-defense. A trial had been scheduled for late April, Holmes writes, but is now expected to be pushed back to a later date.
We have more from the Southwest Division:
- Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said there’s a “good chance” Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane won’t play again this season, Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal tweets. Jackson’s current injury is listed as right quad tendonitis, while Bane has a lumbar disc bulge. Both Jackson (22.5 points per game) and Bane (23.7) are averaging career highs in scoring.
- Hornets forward Grant Williams says he has harbors no ill will toward the Mavericks for trading him after Dallas added him in a sign-and-trade last offseason, Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News tweets. “No hard feelings on my end or, I think, their end,” he said. “We communicated well throughout the process. (Dallas GM) Nico (Harrison), I respect those guys a lot from an honesty perspective.”
- Even Mavericks teammates marvel at the ability of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, according to The Athletic’s Tim Cato. “I never play NBA 2K, so I don’t know if there’s a self-created player who does stuff like they do,” Maxi Kleber said. “But it’s just incredible what they do.”
- Pelicans forward Zion Williamson took note that teams were seeking him out defensively and he’s playing harder at that end of the floor, Christian Clark of the New Orleans Times-Picayune said. “The other teams were trying to hunt me on defense,” Williamson said. “I was watching the film, and I didn’t like that.” Williamson had five blocks against Phoenix on Sunday.