Nuggets Notes: Watson, Porter Jr., Murray, Braun, Jordan, Nnaji
Nuggets forward Peyton Watson isn’t lacking for confidence. He feels he’ll have a breakout season, he told Harrison Wind of TheDnvr.com. Watson is looking to be a rotation player and earn an invite to the Rising Stars game on All-Star weekend.
“I feel like I’m one of the best second-year guys in the league,” he said.
Watson keeps close tabs on Nikola Jokic and wants to emulate the superstar center’s approach.
“I literally watch everything he does,” Watson said. “He never takes any shortcuts. He does everything the right way every day. He doesn’t cut any corners. I really watch all those things because I want to be on that level one day. I feel like I can be an All-NBA player one day. And I take it very seriously. So I watch everything he does. I admire his game and I admire what he does to have his game on that level.”
We have more on the Nuggets:
- Michael Porter Jr. is unlikely to play in Denver’s preseason opener on Tuesday due to an ankle injury. Jamal Murray and Christian Braun were both limited at practice on Monday, coach Michael Malone told Wind and other media members (Twitter links). Murray has a mild hamstring issue while Braun has a calf injury.
- Jokic’s backup could vary depending upon the opponent and situation, according to Bennett Durando of the Denver Post. DeAndre Jordan and Zeke Nnaji are the two candidates. “I think sometimes it will be dependent on who we’re playing,” Malone said. “There are a few teams in the Western Conference that play really big, and those could be great games for D.J. We love the defensive versatility that Zeke brings in terms of being able to switch one through five. So having the balance of using either one of those guys depending on who you’re playing I think is helpful for us.”
- Jordan, who re-signed with the Nuggets on a one-year, veteran’s minimum deal, is unconcerned about his playing time, Durando adds. “I want to win basketball games. I want to win another championship,” he said. “I want to win with this group of guys. And we all have different pieces that make this machine work. Whoever’s out there, they give us the best chance to win. … I think this group last year was big on being selfless. And if it’s Zeke’s night, I’m going to be the first one that’s cheering for him because I want him to be successful.”
Kings Notes: Barnes, Vezenkov, Murray, Second Unit
Harrison Barnes has played for the Kings the last four-and-a-half seasons and he’ll be around even longer after signing a three-year, $54MM extension. After being subjected to so many trade rumors, Barnes is appreciative of his longevity with the organization, he told Anthony Slater of The Athletic.
“I’m humbled and honored. Because there hasn’t been a whole lot of stability here,” he said. “But to be able to build, to see an entire process go through in the same place and say I was part of a successful rebuild, it’s great. I was part of a rebuild in Dallas and wasn’t able to see that go through. But to actually see it through here and hopefully much further, it’s special.”
We have more on the Kings:
- Sasha Vezenkov scored 12 points in 11 minutes of second half action in a 112-99 loss to the Raptors during the team’s preseason opener Sunday, Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee notes. Vezenkov signed a three-year, $20MM contract with Sacramento after winning the EuroLeague MVP award with Olympiacos last season. He’s looking to break into the second unit.
- Sacramento is looking for Keegan Murray to expand his offensive game in his second season. There were signs of that on Sunday, according to Hunter Patterson of The Athletic. Murray, who attempted almost twice as many threes as twos during his rookie season, looked to create more off the bounce in the preseason opener.
- Davion Mitchell and Malik Monk, as usual, were the first players off the bench, Patterson adds. Newcomers JaVale McGee and Chris Duarte rounded out the second unit with Trey Lyles, who re-signed with the club this summer.
Kings Waive Jeremy Lamb
The Kings have waived veteran guard Jeremy Lamb, Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee reports.
Lamb was signed earliler this month on an Exhibit 10 contract. He’s expected to join Sacramento’s G League affiliate in Stockton after clearing waivers, according to Anderson. Lamb would receive a bonus of $75K if he stays with the Stockton franchise at least 60 days.
Lamb saw action in Sacramento’s preseason opener on Sunday, scoring six points in six minutes.
Lamb, 31, is a former lottery pick who has appeared in 573 career regular season games since 2012 for four teams, including – most recently – the Kings. However, the veteran swingman wasn’t in the league last season following a down year in 2021/22. He averaged 7.3 PPG on .383/.324/.840 shooting in 56 games (16.7 MPG) for Indiana and Sacramento in ’21/22.
Sacramento had a full roster of 21 players entering camp, as our roster count shows. They’ll have to shed two more to get down the 15-man limit (not counting their three two-way players) by opening night.
Southwest Notes: Wembanyama, Holmgren, Liddell, Borrego, Irving
The Spurs and Thunder will match up in Oklahoma City on Monday night. It will mark the first meeting between this year’s top pick, Victor Wembanyama, and 2022’s No. 2 pick Chet Holmgren, Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express News notes. It could be the beginning of a rivalry between two highly-touted bigs.
Both players are looking forward to getting it started.
“There’s an eagerness and an excitement for sure,” Holmgren said.
“Chet Holmgren, he’s a really good player,” Wembanyama said. “He is part of the great players of this generation, I would say.”
We have more from the Southwest Division:
- E.J. Liddell had his rookie season delayed by a devastating right knee injury in July 2022. The Pelicans forward, who was on a two-way deal last season, received a three-year contract after a strong Summer League showing this July. He’s eager to show what he can do in regular season action. “I’m like a freshman again,” Liddell told Christian Clark of the New Orleans Times Picayune. “It’s my rookie year. Having fun right now. Wherever that leads me, it leads me.”
- Former Hornets coach James Borrego is in charge of the Pelicans‘ offense this season. Head coach Willie Green, one of Borrego’s former players in Orlando, anticipates Borrego’s schemes will upgrade the attack, Clark writes in a separate story. “I don’t think it’s going to be a big overhaul,” Green said. “It’s just a matter of tweaks and adjustments that we feel can make us a better team. We want to play fast offensively. It’s no secret. I said it last year. We want to put teams on their heels. We want to get out and run.”
- Kyrie Irving is dealing with left groin soreness and he’ll sit out the Mavericks’ exhibition game against Real Madrid in Spain on Tuesday, Marc Stein of The Stein Line tweets.
Northwest Notes: Holmgren, Durant, Braun, Nuggets, Jazz
Thunder big man Chet Holmgren worked out with Suns superstar Kevin Durant in California during the summer. Holmgren said he absorbed plenty from the 13-time All-Star, according to Jordan Davis of The Oklahoman.
“I was just trying to learn the game from him,” Holmgren said. “I had some Thunder staff with me out there this summer and he knows a lot of people in the building. He’s great. He’s always spreading the love and it’s all love coming from him.”
We have more from the Northwest Division:
- Christian Braun won’t fulfill all of the duties that Bruce Brown performed for the Nuggets last season but the second-year guard will get plenty of playing time, general manager Calvin Booth told the Denver Post’s Bennett Durando. “When you’re talking about apples-to-apples replacement (of Brown), you’re talking about Christian Braun,” Booth said. “And Christian, I think, has improved his ball-handling a ton, but he won’t be playing any backup point guard. … Christian Braun is going to bring a lot of the same things Bruce brought, but Bruce played on the ball more.”
- Beyond Braun, the Nuggets’ reserves will have to battle for playing time, Durando writes in a separate story. “I’m not giving any minutes away,” coach Michael Malone said. “Nothing’s going to be given to anybody. … If anybody out there, players, think that they’re automatically going to be given minutes as a backup, they’re mistaken. They’re going to have to earn that. I’m not giving anything away.”
- The Jazz began training camp in Hawaii. Coach Will Hardy is breaking camp into two segments, according to Sarah Todd of the Deseret News. “We’ve got this chunk before our first two preseason games, which come quickly,” Hardy said. “But then we get back to Salt Lake and we have a nice four-day period where we can really dig in at that point. And we’ll have enough film — having seen two games, having a nice chunk of practices — to sort of make some adjustments and tweaks. That’s sort of phase two of training camp.”
Atlantic Notes: Pritchard, Simmons, Dinwiddie, Bridges, Kornet
The extension agreement between the Celtics and backup guard Payton Pritchard is a win-win for both parties, Jared Weiss of The Athletic opines. He agreed to a four-year rookie scale extension worth approximately $30MM.
It would have been difficult for suitors to give Pritchard a reasonable offer sheet as a restricted free agent next summer. Meanwhile, the Celtics aren’t in a position to make another trade to push down the depth chart as it did last season with Malcolm Brogdon, Weiss notes. Plus, Pritchard remains a valuable trade chip if Boston seeks more wing or center depth.
We have more from the Atlantic Division:
- With a healthy Ben Simmons joining Spencer Dinwiddie in the backcourt, Nets coach Jacque Vaughn believes he can find ways to get the best out of that duo, Brian Lewis of the New York Post writes. “I’m trying to think how can we use this as an advantage for us? Spencer can handle the basketball, he can shoot off the basketball. There’s history to that,” Vaughn said. “And there’s history to Ben creating shots for guys, because he plays with the pace. Really like not too many people can match that pace. And so can we use that to advantage to get easy baskets? When you’re scouting us, who’s going to bring it up? It’s not gonna be the same person every single time.”
- Mikal Bridges has become the leader of the Nets and he’s thrilled with having that responsibility, Lewis writes in a separate story. “It’s a new role. Personally I think I can fulfill it and succeed in it with who I am as a person,” he said. “I’m willing to take every bullet, take the blame for losing: I’m ready for all that. Personally, I think I’m ready, but we’ll see. Who wouldn’t want this? Who wouldn’t want this type of pressure, this type of expectations? If you really love the game and really want to be the best you can be, you’d want this …where you’re the main guy and everything’s on your shoulders.”
- Luke Kornet has the inside track on the backup center role for the Celtics, Weiss tweets. “It starts with Luke. I thought Luke really did a great job last year,” head coach Joe Mazzulla said. “I think he’s an underrated player and I don’t think people realize how effective he is. He’s a guy that’s always in the right spot defensively (and) makes the right play.”
USA Basketball Aggressively Pursuing Jrue Holiday For Olympics
Jrue Holiday has had a whirlwind offseason. The new Celtics point guard now has something else to ponder — a spot on Team USA’s roster for the Olympics.
USA Basketball is aggressively pursuing Holiday to return to Team USA and play in Paris, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports.
Holiday, 33, is still mulling whether to accept the offer. There are 12 coveted spots on Team USA’s Olympic roster.
USA Basketball is trying to bounce back from this summer’s disappointing showing in the FIBA World Cup, in which it failed to win a medal. Many of the country’s star players skipped the World Cup.
USA Basketball officials considered Holiday the second-most-impactful player, after Kevin Durant, on the 2021 gold medal team. Holiday’s on-ball defense, play-making and leadership are among the factors behind USA Basketball’s recruitment, Wojnarowski adds.
The Olympic team is expected to include LeBron James, Durant, Stephen Curry, Joel Embiid and Jayson Tatum, if they accept invitations. Some other star players who publicly volunteered recently won’t be extended invitations, according to Wojnarowski. There’s no timetable on a Holiday decision.
Holiday, of course, has other things on his mind as he tries to adapt to another Eastern Conference contender. He was traded twice in recent weeks, first to Portland from Milwaukee in the Damian Lillard blockbuster and then to the Celtics.
Anthony Lamb Signs With New Zealand Breakers
Anthony Lamb, who played for the Warriors last season, has signed with the New Zealand Breakers as an injury replacement, ESPN Olgun Uluc reports. Lamb’s contract will have an NBA opt-out clause, according to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto (Twitter link).
Lamb, a 6’6″ forward, is already with the Breakers in Portland as they prepare for their preseason games against NBA squads. He’s expected to play in the team’s preseason games against the Trail Blazers on Wednesday and against the Jazz on October 17.
Lamb averaged 6.7 points and 3.5 rebounds in 19.3 minutes per game for the Warriors last season while appearing in 62 games during the regular season. He also saw action in six postseason contests.
Initially signed as a two-way player in Golden State, Lamb’s contract was converted to a standard deal in March. He became an unrestricted free agent when the Warriors didn’t extend him a qualifying offer.
He has also had stints with Houston and San Antonio.
The Breakers began their 2023/24 NBL season 1-1 before coming to the U.S. for the preseason games.
Celtics’ Jay Scrubb Suffers Torn ACL
Celtics reserve Jay Scrubb suffered a torn right ACL during practice on Saturday, the team’s PR department tweets.
Scrubb, a second-round pick in 2020, signed a two-way contract with Boston in mid-July after a strong Summer League showing. He averaged 16.5 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists in those four games.
A 23-year-old guard, Scrubb finished last season with the Magic after signing a two-way contract in late March. He was waived in June.
Scrubb appeared in two games for Orlando late in the season, but spent most of his time in the G League. He averaged 22.2 points for the Lakeland Magic over 28 games, including 25 starts.
He previously played for the Clippers, appearing in a total 22 NBA games over two seasons.
Spurs Notes: Wembanyama, Collins, Sochan, Vassell, Johnson
Victor Wembanyama will receive an overwhelming amount of attention during his rookie season with the Spurs. He doesn’t believe it will be a major distraction for his teammates, ESPN’s Andrew Lopez writes.
“They know I don’t care about it (the attention),” Wembanyama said. “I’m here to make sacrifices for them and I think when it’s needed, they’re also going to make sacrifices for me. And they know it’s different. They know it’s going to happen. Of course, there’s going to be a lot of attention, but it’s at the end of the day when everything is done and we’re at practice and I’m like, ‘Yeah, OK, what do we do to get this thing better?’ So it’s really stuff we don’t care about. It’s basketball first.”
We have more from the Spurs:
- Center Zach Collins marveled after Wembanyama’s first day of camp how the rookie can dunk from odd angles, Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express News writes. “He does a lot of stuff you don’t really see too often,” Collins said. “The way he can dunk the ball, he is so close to the rim and it looks so easy for him. And he is doing it from weird angles and his body is contorted in certain ways, but his arm still gets to the rim. … It’s a weapon we haven’t had before.”
- Jeremy Sochan spent most of his rookie year playing power forward but he can play any position, Gregg Popovich told Kelly Iko of The Athletic and other media members. “He can play one through four,” Popovich said. “And depending on circumstances — who we’re playing, injuries — I could see him going to the five and us playing small. He’s like a utility infielder in baseball; maybe they don’t have that anymore. The sky’s the limit for him. He’s so competitive. He handles the ball. He’s one of our best passers. He’s really important in creating pace for us, that up-tempo style that we did so much better with last year. Very, very fun to watch.”
- Devin Vassell‘s five-year rookie scale extension has an unusual structure, Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets. Vassell will make $29,347,826 in 2024/25 and $27MM in each of the next two seasons. He’ll get $24,692,174 in 2027/28, when a potential Wembanyama extension could kick in, and $27MM in the final year of the contract. The deal also includes $11MM in unlikely bonuses.
- Collins, Wembanyama and Vassell seem like locks for the starting five. Tre Jones is the logical choice at point guard, so if Sochan gets the other lineup spot, that would leave last year’s leading scorer — Keldon Johnson — on the bench, McDonald notes.