Bontemps’ Latest: Davis, Morant, Markkanen, Kings, Nets, More
If the Mavericks decide to move Anthony Davis prior to the trade deadline, the expectation is that the return would resemble what Phoenix got for Kevin Durant rather than a haul that features several first-round picks, writes Tim Bontemps of ESPN. In other words, Dallas probably shouldn’t count on getting more than a couple solid players and a single first-rounder.
Although many of the sources who spoke to Bontemps had trouble coming up with many suitors who would make sense for Davis, a few of those sources speculated about whether the Bulls might make a play for the Chicago native.
“I could see it,” one Western Conference executive told ESPN. “(Josh) Giddey has worked well with (Nikola) Vucevic, but he could use a roll man to throw it up to.”
Bontemps’ sources put Ja Morant in a similar boat as Davis, predicting that the Grizzlies will explore the trade market for the point guard but will have trouble finding a package they like.
According to Bontemps, people around the NBA are also keeping a close eye on Lauri Markkanen, who is having a bounce-back season with the Jazz on the heels of a down year in 2024/25. After averaging 19.0 points per game on .423/.346/.876 shooting in 47 games last season, Markkanen has put up 30.6 PPG on .485/.385/.885 shooting through 14 outings this fall, so he’d have more trade value now — if Utah is open to dealing him.
“He’s putting up monster numbers,” a West executive said. “They’re running everything through him. If he goes to a place that he’s an additive piece … you have to have the right team around him to go after him.”
Here are a few more highlights from Bontemps’ look at all 30 NBA teams:
- Scouts around the league are speculating about Doug Christie‘s job security in Sacramento and are waiting to see if the Kings begin looking to trade veterans like Domantas Sabonis, DeMar DeRozan, and/or Zach LaVine. “They’re a disaster,” an Eastern Conference scout told Bontemps. “They’re going nowhere fast. They just have to put a rock on the accelerator and keep going into the tank … they’re expensive, bad and aging.”
- Multiple executives who spoke to ESPN believe the Nets have the least talented roster in the NBA. Brooklyn is off to a 2-12 start, with its only victories coming against fellow bottom-feeders Washington and Indiana.
- There’s skepticism about whether 2024 lottery pick Rob Dillingham can become the Timberwolves‘ point guard of the future, Bontemps writes. Dillingham is still just 20 years old but is off to a slow start in his second season, having shot just 37.3% from the floor, including 20.0% on three-pointers. “I’m not sure that’s ever going to work,” one scout said. “Maybe things come around, but it’s hard to see it.”
- According to Bontemps, there was “virtually no talk” during the preseason about a possible rookie scale extension for Jalen Duren, with the Pistons and the big man believed to be far apart on a potential deal. Duren, who turned 22 on Tuesday, has taken a significant step forward in the early going this season, with averages of 20.6 points and 11.9 rebounds per game, and appears to be in line for a significant payday next summer.
- Scouts have been impressed by the work first-year head coach Jordan Ott has done with the Suns, who are outperforming expectations so far with a 9-6 record and could be a playoff contender. “They’ve been way better than I thought,” a Western Conference scout said. “They’ve got enough pieces around Devin (Booker) where they’ll win the games they should win. (Ott) has them playing the right way and competing.”
Pacers Retain Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Waive Monte Morris
November 21: The Pacers have officially signed Robinson-Earl and waived Morris, the team confirmed today in a press release. As we outlined in a separate story, Indiana also added Garrison Mathews on a 10-day hardship contract.
November 20: The Pacers intend to re-sign forward Jeremiah Robinson-Earl to a non-guaranteed contract as his second 10-day deal concludes, according to Shams Charania of ESPN, who reports (via Twitter) that the team will waive point guard Monte Morris in order to create room on its 15-man roster.
The Pacers were able to sign Robinson-Earl to a pair of 10-day deals because they qualified for a hardship exception, which allows a team to temporarily exceed the usual 15-man limit. The NBA awards a hardship exception to a club if it has at least four injured players who have missed three consecutive games and are projected to miss at least two more weeks.
Indiana may still have four players who meet that criteria, with Tyrese Haliburton (Achilles), Obi Toppin (foot), Aaron Nesmith (knee), and Kam Jones (back) all sidelined. However, a team can’t sign the same player to a third hardship contract, so the Pacers have to move Robinson-Earl to the standard roster in order to retain him beyond his current 10-day deal, which will expire on Thursday night.
Robinson-Earl, 25, has appeared in 10 games and made three starts since joining the Pacers, averaging 5.2 points and 6.2 rebounds in 20.3 minutes per contest. The fifth-year veteran is shooting just 36.4% from the floor and Indiana is being outscored by 15.7 points per 100 possessions during his time on the court, but the club likes what it has seen from the former Pelican enough to keep him around for at least a little while longer.
According to Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star (Twitter link), Robinson-Earl will sign a two-year, minimum-salary deal. His salary for this season would become fully guaranteed if he remains under contract beyond January 7, and he’ll have a non-guaranteed team option for 2026/27.
If Indiana still qualifies for a hardship exception, the team could sign a new player to a 10-day contract once Robinson-Earl has officially been moved to the standard roster. While Morris theoretically could be that player, he would have to clear waivers first and didn’t make much of an impact in his first six games with the Pacers, averaging 3.0 points and 1.5 assists in 10.8 minutes per night, with a .350/.250/.500 shooting line.
Heat Notes: Ware, Mitchell, Larsson, Smith, Rozier
After starting either Kel’el Ware or Nikola Jovic alongside Bam Adebayo early in the season, the Heat didn’t have either youngster in their starting five when Adebayo returned from a toe injury on Wednesday. Jovic remained sidelined with a hip issue, while Ware moved to the second unit after having started six consecutive games in Adebayo’s place.
As Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald writes, head coach Erik Spoelstra faces a difficult decision going forward on whether or not to start Ware and Adebayo together. While a smaller starting five is better suited to the fast-paced offensive style the Heat are deploying this season, the club has struggled on the glass with those smaller lineups.
Overall, Miami ranks 26th in rebounding percentage, including 29th in defensive rebounding percentage. Ware is an asset in that department, having averaged 10.0 rebounds in just 24.3 minutes per game through the first month of the season. In 19 minutes off the bench on Wednesday, he racked up 16 boards, though the team was still out-rebounded 62-52 by Golden State.
Spoelstra’s starting lineup decisions may ultimately come down to game-by-game matchups, though he’ll have fewer options at his disposal this weekend, with Andrew Wiggins out due to a hip injury and Tyler Herro not on track to make his season debut until Monday.
We have more on the Heat:
- There’s no expectation that red-hot shooting guard Norman Powell will come out of the starting lineup when Herro returns, according to Jackson and Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Both Herald reporters expect either Davion Mitchell or Pelle Larsson to move to the bench to make room for Herro.
- Chiang adds that Dru Smith is a candidate to lose his spot in the Heat’s rotation once Herro is back and the team is fully healthy, though he cautions that’s not a given. While Smith’s production has been relatively modest (6.1 points and 3.3 assists in 17.1 minutes per game), the 27-year-old is playing good defense and Miami has a +8.1 net rating when he plays, compared to just +0.2 when he’s not on the floor.
- The Heat still haven’t received clarity from the NBA on whether or not they can include Terry Rozier‘s expiring $26.6MM contract in a trade for salary-matching purposes, writes Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (subscription required). Rozier was placed on leave by the league after being arrested as part of an FBI investigation into illegal gambling.
- If Miami knew Rozier couldn’t be used in a trade, the team would almost certainly consider waiving him, Chiang writes, since only $24.9MM of his salary is guaranteed. That means the Heat could create $1.7MM in flexibility under the tax line and sign a replacement player if they were to cut the veteran guard.
Lakers Notes: Jesse Buss, Scouts, Bronny, Thiero, Offense
After being removed from his role as the Lakers‘ assistant general manager on Thursday, Jesse Buss told Dan Woike of The Athletic that he’ll always be a fan of the team, but that he hasn’t spoken to to general manager Rob Pelinka or his sister Jeanie Buss in five months and feels as if his voice was diminished in recent years.
“I kind of felt siloed quite a bit, dating back to before, I guess, the 2023 draft,” Jesse explained. “And I kind of didn’t think much of it. But as time went on and there was a lack of communication between not only my sister and I, but the organization as a whole while I was combating various health issues, I kind of felt like the writing was on the wall. The sale of the team happening kind of more or less just solidified it in my mind. And I just more or less expected (to be let go).
“Obviously this is a job I’ve loved for a very long time. And I love this organization. I love the fans. I love the city of Los Angeles. It’s pretty much all I’ve known my entire life. … When it comes down to it, even if I’m not part of the organization in any capacity, I’m always gonna root for this team. And obviously I root for players that Joey and I had a part of bringing in on the team, such as Austin (Reaves) and Rui (Hachimura).”
According to Jesse, his father – the late Jerry Buss – envisioned having him and Joey work their way up the basketball operations department and eventually run the Lakers’ front office.
“That was something that was discussed over 15 years ago,” Jesse said. “And what he had told me at the time was that he wanted Jimmy (Buss) to retire at some point within the next five to seven years, so this was about 2010, and he started to slowly incorporate Joey and I into the day-to-day operations. And eventually, I think the plan was (that) Jeanie was gonna run the business side and Joey and I were gonna help run the basketball operations department.”
Jesse became a key member of the Lakers’ scouting department who had a “large amount of input” on the club’s draft picks, and he tells Woike that he was also consulted on certain free agent decisions and potential trades over the years. However, he said his involvement with the team “came in waves” before declining in recent years.
“Oftentimes within the organization, it kind of felt like I was being treated like I was working against them,” Jesse said. “And, I guess you could say, like an enemy. But the only thing I ever wanted was the most success for this team. The credit, or whoever was involved with those decisions, it didn’t really matter as long as it was the best possible thing for the Lakers.”
Here’s more on the Lakers:
- Besides Jesse and Joey Buss, other scouting personnel let go by the Lakers on Thursday included scouts Sean Buss and Aaron Jackson, international scout Can Pelister, and scout support and strategy coordinator Moses Zapata, tweets ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
- With a fully healthy roster, the Lakers have assigned a pair of young players – guard Bronny James and forward Adou Thiero – to the G League, according to Khobi Price of the Southern California News Group (Twitter link). Both players could suit up for the South Bay Lakers on Friday when Los Angeles’ affiliate hosts the Santa Cruz Warriors.
- In a story for The Orange County Register, Price explores how LeBron James‘ return on Tuesday helped provide a glimpse of the Lakers’ offensive upside going forward. While Utah – which ranks 25th in the NBA in defensive rating – wasn’t exactly a formidable opponent, the fact that the Lakers set season highs in points (140) and efficiency (59.5% shooting) while making so many of their offensive possessions look “effortless” was a very encouraging sign, Price writes.
Community Shootaround: Early Eastern Conference Impressions
Coming into the 2025/26 season, the general consensus among NBA fans and experts alike was that the Western Conference would be deeper and much more competitive than the Eastern Conference, where multiple All-Stars – including Celtics forward Jayson Tatum and Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton – would be sidelined while recovering from major injuries.
The sense was that at least seven or eight teams in the West looked like solid playoff clubs, while several more – including the Mavericks, Grizzlies, Trail Blazers, Kings, Suns, and Pelicans – believed they could break into that group.
So far this fall, the teams at the very top of the West have been just as good as we expected. The Thunder are 15-1, the Nuggets and Rockets only have three losses apiece, and the Lakers, Spurs, and Timberwolves are all at least five games above .500.
But the quality depth we expected in the West hasn’t been there yet. The ninth-place team – Portland – is just 6-9, with playoff hopefuls like the Grizzlies (5-11), Clippers (4-11), Mavs (4-12), Kings (3-13), and Pelicans (2-13) all falling well short of their preseason expectations.
Eastern Conference clubs still have a losing record against the West in the early going, but that has been largely a result of the East’s very worst teams playing a lot of inter-conference games — the Hornets, Nets, Pacers, and Wizards have gone 3-19 against Western Conference opponents, while the other 11 East teams have a 30-17 record vs. the other conference.
In the West, a 5-9 record currently puts the Jazz in a play-in spot, but the 8-8 Bucks are on the outside of the top 10 in the East. Still, it’s not as if Milwaukee faces an insurmountable deficit in the standings. While the 13-2 Pistons are three games ahead of anyone else in the conference, the Nos. 2 through 11 seeds are currently separated by just 2.5 games, from the 10-5 Raptors to those 8-8 Bucks.
The Pistons and Raptors have been two of the conference’s most pleasant surprises so far. Detroit was viewed as a solid playoff team and Toronto was expected to be better than last season’s 30-win version of the team, but both clubs have far exceeded expectations. The Pistons have the NBA’s second-best defense after barely cracking the top 10 in that category last season; the Raptors, meanwhile, are up from 26th in the NBA in offense to eighth this fall.
The Knicks and Cavaliers, who were expected to be good, are third and fourth in the East, closely followed by the 9-6 Heat and Sixers. Miami’s new uptempo offensive system has the Heat playing at the fastest pace in the NBA and has helped rejuvenate a team playing without All-Star guard Tyler Herro. In Philadelphia, Tyrese Maxey appears to be taking a leap to a new level of stardom, whether or not Joel Embiid and Paul George are available — Maxey is the NBA’s second-leading scorer behind Luka Doncic.
The Bulls, Hawks, Magic, and Celtics hold the play-in spots in the East for the time being. Orlando and Atlanta, widely projected to be playoff teams, are still finding their footing as they incorporate offseason additions and deal with injuries affecting star players (Paolo Banchero and Trae Young), but Chicago and Boston have been better than expected.
The Bulls are getting contributions up and down their roster, with seven players averaging at least 13.3 points per game; the Celtics are showing they’re still a dangerous team without Tatum on the court, as Jaylen Brown has admirably taken on the No. 1 role on offense by averaging career highs in points per game (27.5) and field goal percentage (50.3%).
Finally, while the Bucks are sitting at .500 now, three of their recent losses have come in games that Giannis Antetokounmpo missed or exited early. As long as their superstar forward is available for most of the season, they look like a solid playoff contender.
We want to get your early impressions on the Eastern Conference. Which of the early-season surprises – including the Pistons, Raptors, Heat, Sixers, and Bulls – do you believe are for real? Which of the 11 current .500-and-above teams in the East do you expect to finish outside of the top 10? Which teams will be in the top six? Do you believe the East has a deeper group of top-10 teams than the West?
Head to the comment section below to weigh in with your thoughts!
Pelicans Notes: Zion, Queen, Dumars, Front Office
Forward Zion Williamson returned to the court on Wednesday after missing the previous eight games due to a Grade 1 left hamstring strain, and the Pelicans played better than they had in the past week, writes Les East of NOLA.com. However, it wasn’t enough against the Nuggets. New Orleans lost its seventh consecutive game, and now has losing streaks of six and seven games sandwiching its only two victories of the season.
Despite not having registered a win since taking over for Willie Green as the Pelicans’ head coach last Saturday, James Borrego was encouraged by what he saw from Williamson, who was a +14 during his 29 minutes of action. The club was outscored by 21 points in the 19 minutes the former No. 1 overall pick didn’t play.
“He got us off to a really good start,” Borrego said after the loss. “His energy and spirit are really important for the team, the city and the organization. We feel like we have a shot every night when he’s on the floor. We didn’t drop the sword tonight, and that’s his spirit.”
Here’s more out of New Orleans:
- Williamson went through a full practice on Thursday and isn’t listed on the injury report for Friday’s game in Dallas, but it’s not yet clear whether he’ll be cleared to play in back-to-backs coming off his latest hamstring injury, tweets William Guillory of The Athletic. The Pelicans will return home after their matchup with the Mavericks to host Atlanta on Saturday.
- Rookie big man Derik Queen continues to be one of the bright spots in New Orleans amid the team’s disappointing 2-13 start. He led the club with 30 points and nine rebounds in Wednesday’s loss, shooting 12-of-18 from the floor and chipping in four assists, two steals, and two blocks. Borrego referred to the performance as an “impressive first go” at three-time MVP Nikola Jokic, a player that Queen has “looked up to for many years,” as Rod Walker of NOLA.com relays. “He’s an amazing player,” Jokic said after the game. “You can see some similarities (to me). I don’t want people to see him and tell him he’s something like me. He’s a good enough player to have his own story.”
- With the Pelicans’ front office facing scrutiny for some of its offseason decisions, Shamit Dua of In The N.O. shares an interesting new detail on the team’s basketball operations department, writing that Joe Dumars‘ son, 34-year-old Jordan Dumars, has become part of management’s inner circle. The Pelicans never formally announced the hiring of the younger Dumars, but sources who spoke to Dua describe Jordan, his father, and senior VP of basketball operations Troy Weaver as being “attached at the hip.” The team told Dua that Jordan’s title is “basketball operations consultant” and confirmed that he has been participating in basketball strategy meetings and discussions.
Pacers Sign Garrison Mathews To 10-Day Contract
5:30 pm: Mathews’ 10-day hardship deal is now official, the Pacers announced in a press release.
11:21 am: The Pacers are planning to sign free agent wing Garrison Mathews to a 10-day contract using a hardship exception, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
Known primarily as an outside shooter, Mathews has appeared in 314 total NBA regular season games since debuting in 2019, averaging 6.5 points in 17.5 minutes per game and making 38.2% of his career attempts from beyond the arc for Washington, Houston, and Atlanta.
After spending the past two-and-a-half seasons with the Hawks, Mathews signed a non-guaranteed training camp contract this offseason with the Knicks in the hopes of earning a spot on their regular season roster. However, the 29-year-old was beaten out by fellow swingman Landry Shamet, resulting in New York waiving him at the end of the preseason last month. Mathews has been a free agent since then.
As we outlined in a separate story earlier today, the Pacers are currently carrying Jeremiah Robinson-Earl using a hardship exception, but his second 10-day contract is about to expire, so the team is signing him to a new two-year deal in order to retain him. Monte Morris will be waived to create room on the 15-man roster for Robinson-Earl.
A player isn’t permitted to sign a third 10-day contract with the same team, which is why Robinson-Earl is being moved to the standard roster, but the Pacers remain eligible for a hardship exception, which is granted when at least four players have missed three or more consecutive games and are projected to be out for at least two more weeks. Tyrese Haliburton (Achilles), Obi Toppin (foot), Aaron Nesmith (knee), and Kam Jones (back) all appear to fit that bill for Indiana.
Mathews will earn $165,197 over the course of his 10 days with the Pacers, while the team takes on a cap hit of $131,970.
Nuggets Notes: Watson, Nnaji, Johnson, Barea, Depth
After not reaching an agreement this offseason on a rookie scale extension with the Nuggets, Peyton Watson got off to a quiet start, averaging 6.4 points per game on .441/.263/.720 shooting through 13 games. But with Christian Braun (left ankle sprain) and Aaron Gordon (hamstring injury management) both inactive on Wednesday, Watson took advantage of his increased offensive responsibilities and had a career night, with 32 points on 13-of-19 shooting, as Bennett Durando of The Denver Post writes (subscription required).
“I knew there was gonna be a need for me to kind of increase my offensive load a little bit. I didn’t have any idea that I was gonna have 30,” said Watson, who had never scored more than 24 points in a game in his first three-plus NBA seasons.
Even when he’s not scoring, Watson plays a regular rotation role for Denver because of his defense. He leads the team in blocks per game (1.1) and ranks third behind Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray in steals per game (1.1). On Wednesday though, the Pelicans dared him to shoot and he responded by making a career-high five three-pointers on nine attempts.
“I went to him,” teammate Bruce Brown said. “I was like, ‘Look, they’re gonna give you 10 (attempts). I know you’re gonna hit four or five of them. So keep shooting.’ That’s what he did.”
Brown added that “this should be a big year” for Watson, pointing out that he’s playing smarter and more aggressively than in the past.
“You can tell he’s been in the league for multiple years,” Brown said.
We have more on the Nuggets:
- Little-used forward Zeke Nnaji, who had played just 20 total minutes in six appearances entering Wednesday’s game, started in Gordon’s place and then was part of the closing lineup after Jokic fouled out. Nnaji scored just two points and was a -18 in nearly 27 minutes of action, but the Nuggets viewed him as their best bet for slowing down Pelicans forward Zion Williamson, who shot 2-of-7 from the floor when defended by Nanji, per NBA.com. “Coach (David Adelman) said Zion was probable, and if he plays, I’m gonna start, and if he doesn’t, he’ll go with someone else — but stay ready,” Nnaji told Durando. “So he gave me the heads-up, and I was able to prepare. … It’s just a mentality of matching his physicality. He’s a physical driver. He wants to get downhill to that left hand. It’s knowing what he likes to do, what he’s trying to get to and being ready for the challenge. Try to show your hands. Stay clean. Alter his shots.”
- After making just 8-of-38 three-pointers to open the season, Nuggets offseason addition Cameron Johnson has knocked down 6-of-10 in his past two games. According to Marc J. Spears of Andscape, Johnson’s new coaches and teammates were never worried about his ability to break out of that early slump. “Everyone has been saying, ‘What is going on with Cam?'” Adelman said after Johnson hit five three-pointers against Chicago on Monday. “Well, it’s going to happen. Cam is going to make shots. That is the bottom line. That is why we’ve been patient with this. That was really good to see.”
- In an interesting story for The Denver Post, Durando details how former NBA guard J.J. Barea got his start as a coach and how the Nuggets assistant reunited with Adelman in Denver after first working together in Minnesota over a decade ago. “He was really good just talking with players, having that relationship with me,” Barea said. “He’s no bull-(crap). He’ll tell you how it is. He’ll tell you straight up to your face. And his dad (Rick Adelman) is similar. I was always a fan of his dad, the way they did things. … I was like, these are two good people to know and learn from more about the NBA.”
- One reason the Nuggets are off to an impressive 11-3 start is their improved depth, writes Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. “We have different type of players, and they’re gluing into our system really good,” Jokic said. “Different positions, different personnel, different types of players, and everything is working out for us, defensively first and then offensively. Everybody’s buying in.”
Rory Maher contributed to this post.
Lakers Removing Joey, Jesse Buss From Front Office Roles
Two members of the Buss family are having their front office roles with the Lakers terminated as the organization restructures its basketball operations department, according to Shams Charania of ESPN, who reports that the team is removing Joey Buss and Jesse Buss from their respective positions.
Joey Buss had held the titles of alternate governor and VP of research and development, while Jesse Buss was an assistant general manager.
“We are extremely honored to have been part of this organization for the last 20 seasons,” the brothers said in a statement to Charania. “Thank you to Laker Nation for embracing our family every step of the way. We wish things could be different with the way our time ended with the team. At times like this we wish we could ask our Dad what he would think about it all.”
The late Jerry Buss, father to Joey and Jesse, owned the Lakers until his passing in 2013. At that time, his stake in the team passed to his six children, with Jeanie Buss taking his place as Lakers governor. Since then, the children haven’t always seen eye to eye on how the organization should be run.
Two other siblings, Jim Buss and Johnny Buss, reportedly attempted to oust Jeanie from the Lakers’ board of directors in 2017 after she removed Jim from his position in the Lakers’ front office. A legal battle at the time resulted in an agreement that Jeanie would be the controlling owner and head of the team’s board of directors for as long as the family owned the Lakers.
The Buss family agreed to sell its controlling interest in the franchise to minority owner Mark Walter earlier this year for a record-setting valuation of $10 billion, with reporting at the time indicating that the vote among the Buss siblings on that decision wasn’t unanimous. Joey and Jesse voted against the sale, Charania said during a Thursday appearance on NBA Today (Twitter video link).
The sale to Walter was formally approved by the NBA’s Board of Governors last month.
The Buss family continues to hold a reported 15% stake in the Lakers, with Jeanie retaining the title of team governor for the time being. According to Charania, Joey and Jesse will still have their minority shares in the franchise despite no longer having roles in the basketball operations department.
As Charania notes, Joey and Jesse have been involved in the scouting department for the past decade while also contributing to personnel decisions. Charania reported in September that the two brothers – perhaps recognizing that they wouldn’t remain in their roles in the Lakers’ front office under new ownership – were launching an investment firm called Buss Sports Capital.
Much of the rest of the Lakers’ scouting staff has also been let go as part of the organizational changes, tweets Dave McMenamin of ESPN.
Raptors Notes: Ingram, Barnes, Mahlalela, Mamukelashvili
The Raptors faced some criticism last season for trading a first-round pick for injured forward Brandon Ingram and then signing him to a three-year, $120MM extension despite the fact that he wouldn’t go on to suit up for his new team at all in 2024/25. However, the organization’s investment in Ingram is paying dividends this fall, as Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca writes.
While Ingram’s stats so far this season – 20.9 points and 3.9 assists per game on .496/.302/.878 shooting – don’t necessarily jump off the page, Lewenberg contends that the veteran forward has reshaped Toronto’s offense more significantly than any player since Kawhi Leonard. Ingram has breathed new life into the Raptors’ half-court offense and attracted the sort of attention from opposing defenses that has made it easier for his teammates to operate, Lewenberg adds.
“(Other teams) know how dangerous he is,” teammate Scottie Barnes said. “He draws so much attention. He’s so talented. Once he gets to his spots, it’s unstoppable.”
With nine wins in their last 10 games, the Raptors sit in second place in the Eastern Conference at 10-5 and have the league’s seventh-best offensive rating (117.8) after placing 26th in that category last season (109.6). Toronto also has a great opportunity to continue its hot streak, with games against the East’s bottom four teams – Washington, Brooklyn, Indiana, and Charlotte – on tap before the end of the month.
Here’s more on the resurgent Raptors:
- Barnes has been up and down since entering the NBA as a fourth overall pick, earning Rookie of the Year honors in 2022 and an All-Star nod in 2024 while taking small steps back in his second and fourth years. He’s playing at an All-Star level once again in year five, prompting Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca to consider whether the 24-year-old can become a legitimate superstar. As Grange points out, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Garnett, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar are the only players in NBA history who have maintained Barnes’ current per-game averages in points (19.2 PPG), rebounds (7.8), assists (5.3), blocks (1.7), and steals (1.4) over the course of a full season. Barnes is also shooting 50.0% from the floor and 38.9% on three-pointers in the early going.
- Confirming a recent report from Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link), Grange writes that Raptors assistant Jama Mahlalela is a finalist for the New York Liberty’s head coaching job. Sources tell Grange that the process has been going for “a while” and that interviews are complete, as of this past weekend. If Mahlalela is hired by New York’s WNBA team, it would create a hole on Toronto’s staff and could create a conflict for Team Canada, Grange notes, since Mahlalela has been announced as an assistant on the national team’s staff through the 2028 Olympics.
- An under-the-radar offseason signing on a minimum-salary contract, center Sandro Mamukelashvili has been giving the Raptors terrific minutes off the bench, providing the team with much-needed depth behind starter Jakob Poeltl, says Eric Koreen of The Athletic. Mamukelashvili intends to make the most of his first consistent NBA rotation role. “I tell myself that you waited for this opportunity for four years, and no matter what, you go out swinging,” he said. “In Georgia, we have a saying: ‘You don’t risk it, you don’t drink champagne.’ So you’ve got to make sure you come out swinging. I tell that to myself every game.”