Spurs Notes: Langford, Primo, Johnson, Poeltl
Romeo Langford beat out Joe Wieskamp for the final roster spot during the Spurs‘ training camp. Due to injuries and the release of Joshua Primo, Langford found himself in the starting lineup on Sunday, Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express News writes. Langford played 34 minutes in the victory over Minnesota.
“He might be our best on-ball defender,” coach Gregg Popovich said. “He has a knack for it. He enjoys it. It was good to find that out.”
Langford is headed for free agency next summer, though San Antonio can make him a restricted free agent if the team extends a qualifying offer.
We have more on the Spurs:
- Despite the troubling circumstances surrounding the franchise’s decision to cut ties with Primo, the Spurs have stuck together and continued to play inspired basketball, McDonald reports in a separate story. “They’re young enough they don’t know any better,” Popovich said. “They just keep playing hard. They enjoy playing with each other, and they’re pretty much obeying the basketball gods and doing all the simple things that help win games.”
- Keldon Johnson signed a four-year, $80MM this summer and that deal is looking better every game. Johnson is averaging career highs in scoring (23.9 points), assists (4.1) and steals (1.3) per game while making 43.5 percent of his 3-point attempts, McDonald notes. “He’s been unreal to me,” center Zach Collins said. “It seems like every time he shoots the ball, it’s going in.”
- It’s unlikely that Jakob Poeltl will sign an extension, since he could probably do better in the open market, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said on his Hoop Collective podcast (hat tip to RealGM). That also makes Poeltl a trade candidate. The veteran center, who is pulling in just under $9.4MM this season, will be an unrestricted free agent next summer. “From what I’m told, the Spurs discussed a contract extension with him, but he’s limited by how much he can sign for,” Windhorst said. “It’s the same reason they traded Dejounte Murray. They did such a good job on the contract that it almost works against you because when you want to sign a player, the player wants more than you can give him because you’re limited on how much of a raise you can give in an extension.”
Wizards Notes: Beal, Wright, Gill, Avdija
Delon Wright‘s hamstring injury has forced Bradley Beal to initiate the Wizards’ offense more often, Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington notes. There isn’t another traditional point guard on the roster outside of starter Monte Morris.
In the last two games, Beal only scored a combined 32 points. He also made a season-high four turnovers against Philadelphia on Monday.
“I’m going to try to do something that reads the flow of the game. It’s been a challenge, but at the same time, it’s where we are,” Beal said. “They’re depending on me. I’ve got to do a better job of taking care of the ball and making crisper and smarter decisions.”
We have more on the Wizards:
- While Wright’s absence affects the entire rotation, The Athletic’s Josh Robbins notes that the starting five was outplayed by its counterparts in losses to Indiana and Boston over the weekend.
- Anthony Gill was inserted into the lineup against the Sixers and his off-the-ball movement had a positive impact, according to Ava Wallace of the Washington Post. But outside of Kristaps Porzingis‘ 32 points, the Wizards continued to struggle at both ends while losing their third straight. Gill felt the team’s offensive issues spilled over to the defensive end. “We have a bunch of guys on our team who are capable of scoring 20 points a night, so when they aren’t scoring 20 points, it affects the defense,” Gill said. “They’re scorers, so when they’re not scoring, they’re not in the rhythm of the game.”
- Deni Avdija was the odd man out with Gill taking his spot in the lineup. Avdija went scoreless in 17 minutes off the bench but the Wizards are hopeful he’ll feel more comfortable with an expanded offensive role in the second unit, according to Hughes. “I trust the coaching staff and I trust myself to figure it out. I’ll be fine,” Avdija said.
Western Notes: Porter Jr., Braun, Mitchell, Eason
Michael Porter Jr. has made 48.9% of his three-point attempts this season while shooting a high volume (7.8 per game). The Nuggets forward believes the pace is sustainable, as he told Mike Singer of the Denver Post. “Fifty percent (from) three, to me, is not an unrealistic number,” Porter said. “I’m not saying that that’s easy to do, but I missed a lot of shots that I feel like I should make, and I’m at 50%. … I think in high school I shot like 75% from three. Like, literally.”
We have more from the Western Division:
- Nuggets rookie Christian Braun has guarded a wide variety of players in the first two weeks and held his ground, Sean Keeler of the Denver Post writes. The coaching staff has been impressed by the first-round pick. “He doesn’t blink. He doesn’t get rattled,” coach Michael Malone said. “He’s just really, you know, a Cool Hand Luke, calm, cool, collected … aggressive, drives and finishes. A fun kid to watch.” Braun is averaging 17.7 minutes off the bench.
- The revamped Jazz have surprised a lot of people but not one of their former All-Stars. Donovan Mitchell says Utah still has plenty of talent, the Cavs guard told Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com. “They got hoopers,” Mitchell said. “I don’t know why everybody was so quick to write them off. I think they got phenomenal leaders in that locker room. Mike Conley is a phenomenal leader. Jordan Clarkson is a phenomenal leader. Then they got Collin Sexton and Lauri Markkanen, guys who can really go … Malik Beasley. Like, they’re just not some slump. They have guys that can really go.”
- Tari Eason has brought a much-needed defensive mean streak to the Rockets, Kelly Iko of The Athletic writes. Eason, a rookie forward out of LSU, is averaging 16.8 minutes off the bench and one of his coaches draws a comparison to a well-known agitator. “He’s a prime example of a better Dennis Rodman,” Rockets lead assistant John Lucas said of the 17th overall pick. “That is a good fit for him. I have been trying to see who he plays like. You don’t have to run plays for him, but you can pencil in 16 to 18 points for him, and he is getting better. He is crashing the offensive glass. He is running the floor and getting steals.”
Pacific Notes: Fox, Davis, Turner, Johnson
Kings guard De’Aaron Fox will miss Wednesday’s game against Miami but an MRI on his ailing right knee provided relief for the team. It showed a bone bruise but no structural damage and the club is hopeful he’ll return to action soon, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets. Fox departed after just nine minutes against Charlotte on Monday. He’s averaging 24.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.8 assists this season.
We have more news from the Pacific Division:
- Anthony Davis‘ lingering back pain tempered the Lakers’ victory on Sunday night. However, he did a workout after receiving treatment on Wednesday and he’s listed as questionable to play against New Orleans on Tuesday, Kyle Goon of the Orange County Register tweets.
- Should the Lakers finally pull the trigger on a Myles Turner trade with the Pacers? Not until they see how Davis plays through his back issues and how well the team plays with Russell Westbrook coming off the bench, Eric Pincus argues in a Bleacher Report story. According to Pincus, several executives and agents around the league believe the Lakers will eventually cave in and make a deal, most likely with the Pacers, though the Spurs, Jazz and Hornets could eventually surface as trade partners.
- Cameron Johnson will be a restricted free agent next summer and the Suns forward, who is now in the lineup, can enhance his value by improving in a number of areas, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic writes. Johnson needs to stay healthy, make impactful 3-pointers and expand his overall game.
New York Notes: Udoka, Durant, Irving, Marks, Rose, Hartenstein
If you’re wondering what the Nets superstars think of Ime Udoka, whom the team plans to hire as its head coach, SNY.TV’s Ian Begley previously reported that Kevin Durant is a huge fan of Udoka, which is why Durant was interested in playing for the Celtics after making his trade demand this summer, SNY’s Danny Abriano relays. When Udoka was an assistant with the Nets, he had no qualms about challenging Durant and Kyrie Irving and they respected his blunt style.
We have more on the New York teams:
- At least one executive interviewed by Heavy.com’s Steve Bulpett’s believes Udoka will be walking into a “no-lose” situation. “Things look so bad there, no one’s going to blame a new coach if it doesn’t get fixed.” the executive said. “We’ll see what Ime can do, but that just isn’t working on any level right now. They’ve still got a ways to go to get where they need to be on a basketball level, but you have to wonder whether they’ll ever have the chance to see that through. Kyrie just always seems to find a way to take the air out of the balloon.”
- Irving didn’t speak to the media on Tuesday and GM Sean Marks said he wants to let Irving “simmer down” and not create more “fuss” over his controversial social media posts and retweets, Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic tweets. Marks noted Irving’s last media session “didn’t go well.”
- Marks said Durant and Irving had “zero input” on the mutual parting of ways between Steve Nash and the organization, Brian Lewis of the New York Post tweets.
- Derrick Rose has only attempted three free throws in six games and his injury history could be the explanation, Fred Katz of The Athletic writes. The Knicks point guard reworked his game to avoid contact, even when he drives into the lane. The thinking is the less he gets hit, the better, even if it means fewer trips to the line.
- Isaiah Hartenstein, one of the Knicks‘ offseason free agent additions, has been “terrific” so far this season, head coach Tom Thibodeau said on Sunday, per Peter Botte of The New York Post. “We knew he would be,” Thibodeau said. “He gives you rim protection. He can shoot, he can pass.” Hartenstein has played increased minutes in each of the team’s last two games due to Mitchell Robinson‘s foul trouble and has performed well, recording 12 points and nine rebounds on Sunday.
Pistons Notes: Ivey, Cunningham, Bogdanovic, Duren, Lineups
The Pistons have lost six of their last seven games but the last two outings have been encouraging. They snapped a five-game losing streak by defeating defending champion Golden State on Sunday and lost on the road to Milwaukee by two points on Monday.
Jaden Ivey, the fifth pick in the draft, has scored in double digits in every game he’s played, including a combined 34 points the last two nights. Backcourt partner Cade Cunningham notched a total of 50 points, 16 rebounds and 16 assists in those two games.
“It’s a confidence builder for a young group, for a kid like Ivey and we keep forgetting Cade’s in year two, for those guys to understand what it takes to beat great teams like we’ve played the last couple nights,” coach Dwane Casey said during Monday’s postgame press conference.
We have more on the Pistons:
- When Bojan Bogdanovic was acquired from Utah just before training camp, many people speculated he’d be flipped this season for assets. That could still happen but it seems less likely after he signed a two-year extension, Keith Langlois of Pistons.com writes. Having a veteran like Bogdanovic has been a boon to an otherwise green starting group, and his deal looks quite reasonable compared to recent extensions given to other veterans around the league with the salary cap expected to significantly rise.
- Rookie center Jalen Duren is grateful 21-year-old Isaiah Stewart has taken him under his wing, he told Sam Yip of HoopsHype. “It means a lot, because I came in kind of with the same mentality, just team success,” he said. “However we can do that I’m all for. So, for me coming in, of course, playing the same position as Isaiah and him already being there, you know, just welcoming me with open arms was huge.” Duren missed Monday’s game with a left ankle sprain but could rejoin the team for its next game at Milwaukee on Wednesday, Mike Curtis of Detroit News tweets.
- Nerlens Noel made his Pistons debut on Monday, though Marvin Bagley III is still sidelined by a knee injury. When all of Detroit’s frontcourt pieces are healthy, Casey may utilize bigger lineups, according to Curtis. Casey has been hesitant to play Duren and Stewart together because he didn’t want either of them to get into foul trouble.
Heat Notes: Spoelstra, Herro, Westbrook, Strus
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra believes the team will soon solve its offensive issues after losing five of its first seven games, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald writes. The fact that they play six of the next seven games at home should help the Heat fix their problems.
“We’re closer than we are further away from it,” Spoelstra said. “But when you add losses to it, sometimes it can feel like you’re far away. But we’re not that far away.”
We have more on the Heat:
- The issue regarding Tyler Herro is not whether he’s worthy of a starting role but rather if he’s better off as a sixth man, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel opines. What the Heat have gotten so far from Herro is a player still finding his way in that role. Herro is averaging 19.9 points and 2.9 assists in seven starts, compared to 20.7 points and 4.0 assists last season while playing the same number of minutes.
- Trading Kyle Lowry and Duncan Robinson to the Lakers for Russell Westbrook wouldn’t make any sense, given that the franchise is always focused on going deep in the playoffs, Winderman writes in a separate story. While Westbrook’s $47MM contract would come off the books next summer, that would only ease luxury tax concerns rather than opening up significant cap space.
- Max Strus is headed for free agency next offseason and he’ll get a huge bump in salary wherever he winds up. A mid-level taxpayer deal is a likely scenario, according to an executive interviewed by Heavy.com’s Sean Deveney. Strus says he’s not sweating the details. “If you get caught up in that stuff, it affects your play so I try not to think about it. I just do my best and put myself in a position for good things to happen,” he said.
Spurs Rookie Blake Wesley Sidelined 6-8 Weeks
Spurs rookie guard Blake Wesley will miss six-to-eight weeks due to a torn medial collateral ligament in his left knee, Tom Noie of the South Bend Tribune reports.
Wesley suffered the injury during the second quarter against Minnesota on Sunday when he bumped knees with Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels.
Wesley was the 25th overall pick of the June draft after playing one season at Notre Dame, where he led the Irish in scoring (14.4 PPG). He was making just his second NBA appearance against the Timberwolves after contributing 10 points and four assists in 15 minutes against Chicago on Friday.
Wesley got a chance to join the rotation when the Spurs abruptly waived Joshua Primo last week after Primo allegedly exposing himself to women. Wesley’s injury could force San Antonio to make a move to shore up its backcourt depth.
Pacific Notes: Okpala, Lakers, Clippers, Crowder
The Heat are happy that KZ Okpala has found a new home in Sacramento, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel writes.
Okpala was traded by Miami to Oklahoma City last season. The Thunder then waived him. Okpala signed with the Kings in September and earned a spot on the regular season roster.
“We’re rooting for him,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said, “because he really put in a lot of time with us and we saw improvement, and that’s a tough thing to do in this league is to carve out a niche, where you can see a vision of where you can make an impact. You also have to have the right fit and a coaching staff that values what you bring, and that’s clearly what he has there with (Mike Brown).”
We have more from the Pacific Division:
- Could the Lakers’ win over Denver on Sunday be a turning point for the season? First-year coach Darvin Ham certainly hopes so, Jovan Buha of The Athletic writes. “We needed to prove something to ourselves,” Ham said. “Not to the world. Not to the media. We had to prove it to ourselves — and I felt great about how we responded.”
- The Clippers enter their game against Houston on Monday with a 2-4 record. They were very displeased with their effort in a 21-point loss to New Orleans in their previous game, according to Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. “Right now, I think we are just showing up,” forward Marcus Morris said. “And thinking we can win because of the talent we have, because of all the things we have on this team. That’s just not the case.”
- Jae Crowder remains away from the Suns as the veteran forward awaits a trade. Crowder posted a hopeful message on his Twitter page that the situation will be resolved soon. “YEA NO WORRIES STAY PATIENT COMING SOON I PROMISE!” he wrote.
Atlantic Notes: Brunson, Knicks, House, Embiid, Curry, Boucher
The Sixers were docked two second-round draft picks for holding early free agent discussions with forwards P.J. Tucker and Danuel House. The Knicks could be the next team to be penalized.
The league’s investigation into early contact regarding the Knicks’ pursuit of free agent Jalen Brunson remains ongoing, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets. New York signed the former Dallas guard to a four-year, $104MM deal in July.
We have from the Atlantic Division:
- House has played 15 or fewer minutes over the past three games. He was signed to a two-year, $8.4MM contract this summer. The Sixers forward taking the minutes reduction in stride, Gina Mizell of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. “It’s a team game, so I can’t really get too overwhelmed and too locked into myself,” House said. “There’s too much going on for me to be thinking of myself. You’ve just got to sit back and play the game.”
- Sixers star Joel Embiid isn’t playing in Monday’s game against Washington due to a non-COVID illness, Ava Wallace of the Washington Post tweets.
- Guard Seth Curry isn’t playing in the Nets’ game against Indiana on Monday due to left ankle injury management, the team tweets. Ben Simmons is also sidelined due to left knee soreness, ESPN’s Marc Spears tweets.
- Raptors big man Chris Boucher has endeared himself to coach Nick Nurse and his teammates with his energetic performances, Doug Smith of the Toronto Star writes. “He’s been very professional,” Nurse said. “That’s one thing about Chris: First of all, he’s a guy that practices hard. He kind of just has a gear that he plays in and that is good. Even if it’s 5-on-0 he’s flying around in his mode. That, I think, is leading by example.” Boucher is in the first season of a three-year, $35.25MM contract.