Cam Thomas, Joe Wieskamp Enter 2021 NBA Draft
LSU freshman guard Cameron Thomas announced on Twitter on Thursday that he will declare for the 2021 NBA draft and intends to sign with an agent.
Thomas, who joins teammates Javonte Smart and Trendon Watford in the 2021 draft pool, was the Tigers’ leading scorer in 2020/21, averaging 23.0 points per contest in 29 games (34.0 MPG). Although the 19-year-old struggled a little with his shot from the floor (40.6%) and from beyond the three-point line (32.5%), his ability to get to the free throw line (7.6 attempts per game) and make his foul shots (88.2%) was a big plus.
Thomas currently ranks 15th overall on ESPN’s big board, making him a probable first-round pick. In his scouting report on Thomas, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony notes that the 6’4″ shooting guard is a talented scorer but can be indifferent at times on defense, especially off the ball.
Meanwhile, Iowa swingman Joe Wieskamp – the No. 82 player on ESPN’s list – announced on Twitter on Wednesday that he’ll go through the draft process while maintaining his NCAA eligibility.
Weiskamp is coming off a junior season in which he averaged 14.8 PPG and 6.6 RPG with an impressive .462 3PT% in 31 games (29.3 MPG). If he keeps his name in the draft after testing the waters, he’ll be one of the top outside shooters available.
Thunder Sign Justin Robinson To Second 10-Day Deal
Second-year guard Justin Robinson, whose initial 10-day contract with the Thunder expired overnight, has inked a second 10-day deal with Oklahoma City, the team announced today in a press release.
Having initially joined Oklahoma City’s roster on April 5, Robinson appeared in all six games the team played over the next 10 days, averaging 3.5 PPG and 1.3 APG on .389/.308/.600 shooting in 12.0 minutes per contest. While those numbers are pretty modest, the Thunder apparently liked what they saw from Robinson enough to keep him around for at least 10 more days.
Before arriving in OKC, Robinson played this season for the Delaware Blue Coats in the G League bubble, recording 15.5 PPG and 5.9 APG on .389/.376/.629 shooting in 13 games (31.1 MPG). The 23-year-old was a full-time starter for a Delaware squad that made it to the NBAGL Finals.
Robinson, who will earn $99,020 on his second 10-day deal with the Thunder, will fill the lone open spot on the team’s roster. So, barring any further roster moves, Oklahoma City will have a full 17-man squad for at least the next 10 days.
Once Robinson’s second 10-day contract expires, OKC will have to either let him walk or sign him for the rest of the season.
Rockets Notes: Olynyk, Bradley, Martin, Brown
The qualifying tournaments to determine the final four men’s basketball teams that will participate in the Tokyo Olympics will begin on June 29, about a month before the NBA’s free agent period gets underway.
Rockets big man Kelly Olynyk will be a free agent this summer, but he’s not planning to skip those qualifiers to avoid risking an injury before signing a new contract. As Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle details, Olynyk acknowledged that he’ll take his impending free agency into account as he considers his decision, but he wants to represent his home country as Team Canada looks to secure an Olympic berth.
“It’s always been a goal of mine to play in the Olympics and represent Canada on the highest stage. Hopefully, we can this summer,” Olynyk said. “… Usually, your free agency is done July 1 and the Olympics are the beginning of August and you’re good to go. Now, the Olympics are the end of July and free agency is the beginning of August, so it’s kind of flip-flopped. Obviously, that plays a role and you have to think about it, whether it’s insurance or what the best route to go is. We’ll cross those bridges when they come but my goal is to go out there and play and represent my country.”
Here’s more on the Rockets:
- Since the Rockets don’t project to be able to open up much cap room this offseason, John Hollinger and Kelly Iko of The Athletic wonder if the team might opt to remain over the cap, perhaps bringing back Olynyk and Avery Bradley on short-term deals as possible 2022 trade chips.
- In a separate story for The Athletic, Iko takes a deep dive into Kenyon Martin Jr.‘s development as a rookie this season, exploring the strides he has made and how he fits into Houston’s long-term plans. Martin pointed to improving his shot off the dribble as something he intends to work on before his second season.
- Rockets wing Sterling Brown has missed the team’s last two games with left knee soreness, but head coach Stephen Silas doesn’t expect the injury to be a “long-time thing,” predicting that Brown will return soon, writes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Silas also offered high praise for Brown’s play this season: “He’s shooting the ball consistently for us, shooting the ball extremely well, having a career season. He’s someone I can put on the floor whether he’s starting or coming off the bench, he will produce on both ends of the floor.”
Knicks Notes: Henson, Robinson, Noel, Thibodeau
John Henson‘s 10-day contract with the Knicks expired overnight and the team doesn’t plan to sign him for another 10-day stint, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post, who notes (via Twitter) that the big man injured his calf on the second day of his deal and didn’t get a chance to play at all.
With Henson no longer under contract, the Knicks have an open spot on their 15-man roster and could create a second one if they don’t re-sign Norvel Pelle after his second 10-day deal expires next Wednesday night. Pelle made a case on Wednesday for a rest-of-season contract, as he was a plus-19 in just 13 minutes in New York’s victory over New Orleans.
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- The Knicks haven’t played any worse with Mitchell Robinson sidelined this season than they have with him in the lineup, prompting Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News to wonder how heavily the team should be willing to invest in Robinson on his next contract.
- Nerlens Noel has played a major part in making up for Robinson’s absence. Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report takes a closer look at Noel’s resurgence and how it could impact the former lottery pick’s upcoming free agency.
- Like Mark Cuban‘s Mavericks, Tom Thibodeau‘s Knicks may have to earn their playoff spot in a play-in tournament despite a possible top-eight finish. However, Thibodeau is more enthusiastic than Cuban about the merits of the play-in tournament, writes Steve Popper of Newsday. “I think we have to let it play out first and then assess it again,” Thibodeau said. “But I think a lot of a lot of teams being involved in important games, I think that that’s good for the league. I think you’re always concerned about that. And so let’s see we’ll how it plays out but the initial thought of it I think is very good.”
- Pelicans coach Stan Van Gundy pointed to the “extra training camp” that Thibodeau and the Knicks got last fall as one reason for the team’s surprise emergence this season, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. The teams that weren’t invited to the Walt Disney World bubble last summer were granted up to two weeks of organized team activities in September and October — that was Thibodeau’s first real chance to get familiar with his players, though it’s worth noting the roster was overhauled to some extent after that.
LaMarcus Aldridge Announces Retirement Following Health Scare
Nets big man LaMarcus Aldridge has retired as an NBA player, announcing his decision in a statement on Twitter. As Aldridge explains, he made the decision after experiencing an irregular heartbeat during his most recent game.
“Though I’m better now, what I felt with my heart that night was still one of the scariest things I’ve experienced,” Aldridge said in his statement. “With that being said, I’ve made the difficult decision to retire from the NBA. For 15 years, I’ve put basketball first, and now, it is time to put my health and family first.”
Aldridge’s irregular heartbeat last Saturday wasn’t the first time he has dealt with a heart-related health issue. He was diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome as a rookie in 2007 and missed time in 2017 due to a hearth arrhythmia. Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News wrote more in ’17 about Aldridge’s heart history.
Aldridge, who gave up a significant chunk of his remaining 2020/21 salary in a buyout agreement with the Spurs last month, joined the Nets as a free agent in the hopes of earning his first championship ring. However, the 35-year-old was only able to appear in five games for Brooklyn before making the decision to call it a career.
Nets general manager Sean Marks said in a statement of his own today that the franchise fully supports Aldridge’s decision, as Ian Begley of SNY.tv relays (via Twitter).
“While we value what he has brought to our team during his short time in Brooklyn, his health and well-being are far more important than the game of basketball,” Marks said. “We know this was not an easy decision for him, but after careful consideration and consultation with numerous medical experts, he made the best decision for him, his family, and his life after basketball.”
Aldridge, the second overall pick in the 2006 draft out of Texas, averaged 19.4 points and 8.2 rebounds in 1,029 career NBA regular season games for the Trail Blazers, Spurs, and Nets. He contributed 20.8 PPG and 8.5 RPG in another 72 postseason contests.
Aldridge was named to the NBA All-Star team seven times over the course of his 15-year career, earning All-NBA honors five times — twice as a member of the Second Team and three times as part of the Third Team.
While Aldridge’s health is the Nets’ primary concern for now, it’s worth noting that his retirement will have a significant impact on Brooklyn’s frontcourt rotation as the team pursues a title. Aldridge had started all five games he played for the club. Nicolas Claxton and DeAndre Jordan will handle the majority of the minutes at center with Aldridge no longer in the mix.
Whether or not Aldridge remains on Brooklyn’s roster for the rest of the season, he’ll earn his remaining salary, so the team will likely release him in a procedural move in order to sign a 15th man for the postseason.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Nuggets Notes: Jokic, Murray, Porter, Morris
Several weeks ago, the NBA Most Valuable race looked like a wide-open competition, with a number of viable candidates surging, including Sixers center Joel Embiid, Lakers forward LeBron James, Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Nets guard James Harden, among others. Since then, however, all of those players have missed time with injuries.
As a result, Nuggets center Nikola Jokic has emerged as the clear frontrunner for this year’s MVP award, writes Tim Bontemps of ESPN. Jokic, who is the only top candidate not to miss a game so far this season, has been outstanding, averaging new career highs in points (26.0), rebounds (10.9), and assists (8.8) per game to go along with a scorching .564/.418/.853 shooting line.
Bontemps conducted a straw poll of 101 NBA media members, and Jokic received 90 first-place votes and 969 total points, blowing away runner-up Embiid (five first-place votes; 401 points). If the outcome of the final vote is similar, Jokic will become the first center to win the MVP award since Shaquille O’Neal did so in 2000, Bontemps notes.
Here’s more on the Nuggets:
- Head coach Michael Malone said on Wednesday that Jamal Murray was “devastated” to learn that he’d suffered a torn left ACL, writes Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. “It was really hard. We stayed over for that game in San Francisco,” Malone said. “Just sitting with him on the way to the airport, your heart breaks because you can see the raw emotion that he was feeling.”
- With Murray out, the pressure is on Michael Porter Jr. to show the Nuggets he can become the team’s go-to scoring option on the perimeter, says Sean Keeler of The Denver Post. Keeler acknowledges that it’s not fair to put that sort of pressure on the 22-year-old, but writes that it’s an ideal opportunity for Porter to deliver on his star potential.
- Nick Kosmider of The Athletic also explores how the Nuggets can cope in the wake of Murray’s injury, focusing on Porter and backup point guard Monte Morris, among others.
- In case you missed it, the Nuggets and Austin Rivers are reportedly on track to finalizing a deal, perhaps a 10-day contract for now.
Community Shootaround: Defensive Player Of The Year
A year ago, Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo won the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year award, with Lakers big man Anthony Davis and Jazz center Rudy Gobert finishing as the second- and third-highest vote-getters, respectively.
Antetokounmpo is a perennial candidate for the award, but he has missed a little time with injuries this season and Milwaukee’s defense in 2020/21 (109.6 rating; sixth in the NBA) isn’t as dominant as it was last season, when the team ranked first with a 102.5 defensive rating. He’ll probably get some votes, but he’s unlikely to repeat as the DPOY.
The Lakers have the league’s best defensive rating so far this season (105.5), and Davis has played a major part in the unit’s success when he’s healthy. But he has only played in 23 of L.A.’s 55 games so far and remains sidelined for the time being, essentially removing him from the DPOY conversation.
Of last year’s top three finishers then, Gobert looks like the best bet to take home the award in 2021. He has won it twice already, and the Jazz have the NBA’s best record at 41-14. Gobert, as usual, has anchored their defense, which is the league’s fourth-best (107.6 rating), and he’s leading the league in DRPM (defensive real plus-minus) by a wide margin.
Still, Gobert isn’t a lock to earn Defensive Player of the Year honors. He has struggled to slow down many of the league’s top centers in their head-to-head matchups this season, allowing Nikola Jokic to average 41 points, 13 rebounds, and seven assists in his two games against Utah, while Joel Embiid racked up 40 points and 19 boards in his lone matchup with Gobert.
Another Sixers All-Star, Ben Simmons, scored 42 points against Gobert and the Jazz in the game Embiid missed, something he recently pointed out on ESPN’s The Jump when making his own case for Defensive Player of the Year.
“I’m one of those guys who can guard one through five,” Simmons said, per Ky Carlin of SixersWire. “Obviously, there’s a lot of respect for Rudy. I know what he’s capable of. I know he’s great down there in the paint, but he’s not guarding everybody and that’s just what it is. He guarded me in Utah…I had 42, and apparently I’m not a scorer. It is what it is, but I have a lot of respect for him. At the same time, I think it’s mine this year.”
Simmons, who finished fourth in the 2020 vote, has been a key part of the NBA’s second-best defense this season (106.6 rating), and his versatility makes him an intriguing candidate to win the award. However, as Rich Hofmann and Andrew Patton note in a piece for The Athletic, Simmons doesn’t necessarily stack up well to other top candidates based on publicly available advanced stats, even if those stats perhaps underrate his contributions.
Pacers center Myles Turner has a legitimate case for Defensive Player of the Year honors this season, posting an eye-popping 3.5 blocks per game to lead the league. He ranked second in Steve Aschburner’s recent breakdown of DPOY contenders at NBA.com. Still, Indiana is a sub-.500 team (26-28) with a middle-of-the-pack defense (111.5 rating; 13th in NBA), which will work against Turner’s case.
Hawks center Clint Capela has been making a strong push for DPOY consideration as well, as Chris Kirschner of The Athletic details, ranking in the top two or three in a handful of advanced stats, as well as third in the NBA in blocked shots (2.2 per game). Although the Hawks’ defensive rating (112.1) is just 19th in the league, that’s a significant improvement on last season’s showing (28th), as Capela has been discouraging shots around the rim, and has been better at preventing the attempts that are made.
What do you think? Who would be on your three-man Defensive Player of the Year ballot, and who do you view as the frontrunner? Which players not mentioned above would you consider?
Head to the comment section below to share your thoughts!
Duke’s Matthew Hurt, Others Declare For Draft
Duke sophomore power forward Matthew Hurt is declaring for the 2021 NBA draft and will hire an agent, forgoing his remaining college eligibility, he told Jonathan Givony of ESPN.
Although the Blue Devils didn’t have a great season, missing out on a spot in the NCAA tournament, Hurt was a bright spot. He averaged 18.3 points and 6.1 rebounds in 24 games (32.7 MPG), posting an impressive shooting line of .556/.444/.724.
Hurt’s performance earned him a spot on the All-ACC First Team, as well as the conference’s Most Improved Player award. He’s the No. 48 prospect on ESPN’s big board, making him a realistic candidate to be drafted in July.
Several more prospects who are part of ESPN’s top-100 list have also announced that they’re entering the draft. Here’s the latest:
- Matthew Mayer, G/F, Baylor (junior): On the heels of winning national title, Mayer announced on Instagram that he’ll enter the draft while maintaining his NCAA eligibility. The No. 53 prospect on ESPN’s board came off the bench again for the Bears in 2020/21, averaging 8.1 PPG with a .395 3PT%.
- Santi Aldama, F, Loyola Maryland (sophomore): Aldama averaged a double-double (21.2 PPG, 10.1 RPG) with a .513/.368/.686 shooting line in 17 games (35.0 MPG) as a sophomore, earning All-Patriot League First Team honors. The No. 57 prospect on ESPN’s board, Aldama told Jonathan Givony that he’s testing the draft waters.
- David Johnson, G, Louisville (sophomore): Johnson, the No. 67 prospect on ESPN’s list, announced on Twitter that he’ll be forgoing his remaining college eligibility and going pro. He enters the draft after a sophomore season in which he averaged 12.6 PPG, 5.8 RPG, and 3.2 APG in 19 games (35.1 MPG).
- Isaiah Wong, G, Miami (sophomore): Wong announced on Twitter that he intends to test the draft waters, leaving the door open to return to the Hurricanes. The 6’3″ guard averaged 17.1 PPG in 27 games (35.5 MPG) in 2020/21, earning himself a spot on the All-ACC Third Team.
Cavs Promote Lamar Stevens To 15-Man Roster
2:52pm: The Cavaliers have officially announced Stevens’ new multiyear contract, issuing a press release to confirm the deal.
11:51am: It’ll be a four-year deal for Stevens, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (Twitter link), who says the contract won’t be guaranteed beyond this season and will include a fourth-year team option.
11:42am: The Cavaliers are signing forward Lamar Stevens to a multiyear NBA contract, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Stevens is already on Cleveland’s roster, but only on a two-way deal. His new agreement with the team will give him a spot on the 15-man squad.
A rookie out of Penn State, Stevens has appeared in 37 games so far for the Cavs, averaging 4.4 PPG and 2.5 RPG in 13.1 minutes per contest. He’s also regarded as a strong defender, having told Hoops Rumors earlier this year that one of his goals is to eventually make the NBA’s All-Defensive team.
Cleveland currently has 13 players on full-season standard contracts, with Mfiondu Kabengele on a 10-day pact, so there’s an opening on the 15-man roster for Stevens. As such, no corresponding move will be required for his promotion.
The Cavaliers still have a portion of their mid-level exception available, so they could sign Stevens to a three- or four-year contract. Once it’s official, the move will open up a two-way slot for the Cavs, who could fill that opening with a developmental player before the end of the season.
Warriors’ Wiseman To Undergo Right Knee Surgery
Warriors center James Wiseman will undergo surgery on his right knee later this week, league sources tell Anthony Slater of The Athletic. The procedure is expected to take place as soon as Thursday, Slater adds.
Wiseman, who injured his right knee on Saturday, reportedly suffered a torn meniscus. The Warriors, who have spent the last few days getting multiple opinions on the injury and assessing the potential options, have decided that surgery is the way to go.
Although Wiseman will go under the knife, the exact nature of the procedure and his possible recovery timeline remain up in the air. As Slater explains, the surgeon likely won’t determine the best course of action until getting a clearer look at the tear during the procedure.
Trimming the meniscus is one option, which would result in about a four-to-six week recovery timetable. A full repair of the meniscus is also being considered and would mean several months of recovery time. The Warriors are comfortable with either approach, according to Slater, who says the rookie’s season is likely over either way, since the club wants to be cautious with the No. 2 overall pick.
In 39 games (21.4 MPG) this season, Wiseman averaged 11.5 PPG and 5.8 RPG on 51.9% shooting. In his absence, Kevon Looney has taken over as Golden State’s starting center. The team is also said to be mulling another frontcourt addition.