LeBron To Miss Sunday’s Game Against Nuggets
Lakers forward LeBron James will miss Sunday’s game against the Nuggets as he continues to be hampered by a left ankle sprain, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
James badly rolled his left ankle last Sunday against the Pelicans, missed two games, returned on Friday vs. New Orleans, and now will miss his third game with the injury. As Bill Oram of The Athletic notes (via Twitter), Sunday’s contest will tip off less than 36 hours after Friday’s ended, not giving James much time to physically recover after playing 40 minutes on Friday.
Coach Frank Vogel confirmed that James is out Sunday due to the sore ankle and is considered day-to-day going forward. He also said Anthony Davis was sore after his first game back in several weeks, but Davis will play against the Nuggets (Twitter links via Mark Medina of NBA.com).
The reeling Lakers have lost five straight games and are a measly 4-15 since the All-Star break. They currently sit with a 31-46 record and are the No. 11 seed in the West. Los Angeles trails the Spurs by one game for the final spot in the play-in tournament, but the Spurs hold the tiebreaker due to a better conference record — in short, the Lakers need to finish with a better record than the Spurs to get the No. 10 seed.
In addition to Sunday’s home game against the Nuggets, the Lakers finish out the season with road games against the Suns and Warriors, plus a home meeting against the Thunder and a regular season finale in Denver.
James is the league’s leading scorer with 30.3 points per game, but he needs to play at least two more games to qualify for the scoring title. MVP candidates Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid are currently second and third in scoring average with 30.1 and 30.0 points per game, respectively.
Southwest Notes: Gobert, Mavs, Morant, Tyus Jones, Hayes
In an appearance on The Lowe Post podcast, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon said the Mavericks would have “significant interest” in Jazz center Rudy Gobert if Utah makes him available this summer. Gobert would also “love to play with Luka (Doncic),” according to MacMahon (hat tip ProCity Hoops via Twitter).
Gobert would prefer to stay in Utah, MacMahon stated, but Dallas would be “very aggressive” in pursuit of the three-time Defensive Player of the Year if he’s put on the market.
Of course, this talk was based on Utah’s performance in the playoffs this season, as the team could make major changes if it’s unsuccessful in making a deep playoff run — it could even be a championship-or-bust scenario, depending on how certain players react. Still, it’s interesting that the Mavs apparently value Gobert so highly, given his pricey contract over the next several years.
Here are a few more notes from the Southwest Division:
- Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said that Ja Morant is starting to ramp up his activity and is “feeling good,” according to Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal (Twitter link). Morant’s sore right knee is expected to be reevaluated next Thursday. He’s expected to be back for the team’s playoff run.
- Tyus Jones‘ strong play starting in place of Morant could make him too expensive for the Grizzlies to keep this summer, Cole writes. Jones is leading the NBA in assist-to-turnover ratio for the fourth straight season and could be in line for a raise on the $8.4MM he’s earning in 2021/22. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent this summer in a pretty weak point guard class. In 21 starts this season, Jones is averaging 12.5 PPG, 3.5 RPG and 6.8 against 0.95 TOPG, a ratio of about 7-to-1. He’s also a solid defender and sports a .450/.373/.838 shooting line in 30.3 MPG as a starter.
- After switching from center to power forward, Jaxson Hayes‘ future in the league looks bright, writes Christian Clark of NOLA.com. The former first-round pick is eligible for a rookie scale extension this summer, but multiple sources think an extension might be unlikely, Clark relays. One reason for that is Hayes has some positional overlap with Zion Williamson, so New Orleans might want to see how they fit together before committing to Hayes long-term. Assuming he sticks with the Pelicans through next season and doesn’t sign an extension, Hayes would become a restricted free agent in the summer of 2023 if the team gives him a qualifying offer.
Anthony Davis, LeBron James Return On Friday
APRIL 1: Coach Frank Vogel said Davis will play on Friday, per Andrew Lopez of ESPN (Twitter link). James will play as well, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports tweets. The Lakers face the Pelicans at 9:30pm CT.
MARCH 31: Lakers star Anthony Davis intends to return Friday against the Pelicans as long as there are no setbacks, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium (Twitter link).
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski also reports (via Twitter) that LeBron James is going to test his sprained left ankle in an effort to return to action with Davis. Wojnarowski listed Davis as a game-time decision, but he apparently plans to play. Both players are out Thursday versus Utah, Wojnarowski tweets.
Davis last played on February 16, when he suffered a right mid-foot sprain. A report earlier this week indicated he was hoping to return this weekend. Through 37 games this season (35.1 MPG), Davis is averaging 23.1 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 2.9 APG, 1.2 SPG and 2.3 BPG on .537/.182/.709 shooting.
It has been a strange season for Davis in a number of ways, as he hasn’t made his usual impact defensively, and his marks from three-point range (since he started attempting them semi-regularly in 2015/16) and the free throw line are both career-lows. However, he’s shooting a career-best .578 on two-pointers.
After appearing in 36 of 72 contests last season, he’s had another injury-played season in 2021/22, appearing in 37 of 75 games.
James, meanwhile, injured his ankle Sunday in the team’s loss at New Orleans, saying it felt “horrible” at the time. He was subsequently granted permission to leave the team’s road trip and return to Los Angeles for treatment and evaluation of the injury.
At 37 years old, James is averaging 30.1 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 6.3 APG, 1.3 SPG and 1.1 BPG on .523/.359/.756 shooting through 55 games (37.2 MPG). He currently leads the league in scoring, but needs to play at least three more games to qualify for the scoring title.
Friday’s matchup with the Pelicans will be crucial for the Lakers as they attempt to make the play-in tournament. The Pelicans (33-43) are the current No. 9 seed in the West, while the Lakers (31-44) trail by one-and-a-half games. Both teams are trying to fend off the Spurs (31-45) to secure a chance to make the playoffs.
If the Lakers and Spurs finish the season with an identical record, the Spurs would hold the tiebreaker and advance to the play-in tournament due to a better conference record (21-25 for the Spurs, compared to 16-29 for the Lakers).
Southeast Notes: F. Wagner, Hornets, Bridges, Collins
Franz Wagner has had a stellar first season for the Magic, and Josh Cohen of the team’s website makes the case that Wagner deserves Rookie of the Year consideration. Wagner holds the season-high scoring mark in an individual game for rookies with 38, along with several other benchmarks.
Through 77 games this season, the 6’9″ forward is averaging 15.5 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.0 assists on .468/.357/.863 shooting in 31.5 minutes per night. If he stays above 46% from the field (which is a basically a lock) and is able to convert four more three-pointers, Wagner will join Stephen Curry and Jayson Tatum as the third rookie ever to score at least 1,000 points and make 100 threes while shooting 46-plus percent from the floor, per Cohen.
One of the 20-year-old’s notable statistics has been his durability, as he’s one of just six players to appear in every game this season (Kevon Looney, Deni Avdija, Mikal Bridges, Dwight Powell and Saddiq Bey are the others). Unfortunately, he rolled his left ankle in Friday’s game against Toronto (video link via Kobi Price of The Orlando Sentinel) and was ruled out for the remainder of the game, the Magic’s PR department announced (via Twitter). Hopefully he’ll be able to finish out the season strong and accomplish the feat.
Here’s more from the Southeast:
- The Hornets have clinched a spot in the play-in tournament, but they have their sights set on loftier goals, as Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer relays. “We can’t be content — we haven’t done s—,” Kelly Oubre said. “So we’ve got to continue to work, stay humble and continue to grind and create our own narrative for the future and establish ourselves in an area for sure that is in the winning light. So we’ve got to continue to stay hungry and stay humble.”
- Within the same article, Boone notes that Miles Bridges apparently still holds some resentment that the Knicks didn’t select him in the 2018 draft. The Knicks selected Kevin Knox at No. 9, while Bridges fell to the Hornets at No. 12. “There’s a lot of history between me and the Knicks’ organization, going back to draft day,” Bridges said. “So every time I come in, I want to make a point of why they should have drafted me back then. I just try to be aggressive every time I come here and show them what I can do and it’s been working out.” Bridges has scored 30-plus points in each of his last three appearances in New York, including 31 on 11-of-15 shooting in the team’s 125-114 victory Wednesday. He’ll be a restricted free agent this summer.
- John Collins still hasn’t returned to basketball activity for the Hawks, Sarah K. Spencer of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets. Collins is progressing in his rehab from a mid-foot sprain and plantar fascia tear, as well as a sprained finger, and his return to action will depend on his follow-up appointments with medical specialists.
OSU’s Malaki Branham Entering 2022 Draft
Ohio State freshman Malaki Branham is entering the 2022 NBA draft, but he plans to maintain his college eligibility unless he receives an assurance that he’ll be selected in the first round, according to Jonathan Givony of ESPN. Branham is currently No. 16 on ESPN’s best available players list.
“I will be testing the draft waters while keeping my college eligibility intact,” Branham said. “I want to find the best situation and the right fit for me. I am staying in the draft if I’m in the first round because I believe if someone gives me four years to prove myself, I have no doubt that they will love what they’re getting.”
Branham, a 6’5″ guard, received numerous accolades in his lone season with the Buckeyes, including Big Ten Freshman of the Year and third-team all-conference. In 32 games (29.6 MPG), Branham averaged 13.7 PPG, 3.6 RPG and 2.0 APG on a .498/.416/.833 shooting line.
He had a slow start to his college career, averaging just 6.3 PPG, 3.0 RPG and 1.6 APG on .388/.333/.1.000 shooting in his first 10 games, but he excelled down the stretch run of the season, averaging 20.2 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 2.4 APG and 1.0 SPG on .566/.344/.865 shooting over his final 10 contests.
“Breaking down film with coaches and gaining a better understanding of making the right reads, offensively and defensively, allowed me to excel even more in the second half of the season,” Branham said, as part of a larger quote. “I believe NBA teams will learn that I’ll be a sponge, no matter how things are going for me I’m willing to learn and take the time to be better. As I do those things, I can then apply what I’ve gained in understanding.”
Branham, who won’t turn 19 until next month, has the potential to be a lottery pick in June if he has a strong showing leading up to the draft, per Givony. Branham’s length (6’11” wingspan), frame, shot-making, shot-creation, poise, burgeoning play-making skills and the improvement he showed over the course of the season indicate that he has a high ceiling as a prospect, as Givony relays.
Thunder Sign Jaylen Hoard To 10-Day Deal
The Thunder have signed forward Jaylen Hoard to a 10-day contract via a hardship exception, the team announced. Hoard previously signed a 10-day contract with Oklahoma City back in December using a hardship exception.
Most of this year’s 10-day hardship contracts, including Hoard’s in December, have been completed using the COVID-related hardship exception, but his current 10-day deal is using an injury-related hardship exception. A team qualifies for an injury-related hardship exception if it has at least four players who have missed three or more consecutive games, as long as those players project to remain sidelined for at least the next couple weeks — or in this case, the season’s remaining 10 days.
Oklahoma City has at least seven such players — Luguentz Dort, Ty Jerome, Mike Muscala, Josh Giddey, Darius Bazley, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Derrick Favors are all out for the season — and an eighth, Kenrich Williams, is doubtful to play again over the final 10 days. That’s why the club is eligible for the hardship exception.
Hoard, who just turned 23 on March 30, is a native of Le Havre, France. He went undrafted in 2019 after a single season with Wake Forest, and spent his rookie season with Portland on a two-way contract.
In his second year as a pro in 2020/21, he played for the Thunder’s G League affiliate, then signed a two-way deal with the NBA club last April. He rejoined the Oklahoma City Blue, the Thunder’s NBAGL team, this season. In 39 games (25 starts) with the Blue in ’21/22, Hoard holds averages of 10.1 PPG, 6.1 RPG and 2.2 APG in 23.9 MPG.
In 33 NBA games over the past three seasons, including one brief appearance in December, Hoard has averaged 4.7 PPG and 3.0 RPG in 12.9 MPG.
Thunder’s Derrick Favors Done For Season
Speaking on Thursday to reporters, including Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman (Twitter link), Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said that veteran center Derrick Favors will miss the remainder of the season with lower back soreness. Favors hasn’t played since February 24.
Favors, 30, holds a player option for 2022/23 worth $10,183,800, which he’s almost certain to pick up after having the worst season of his 12-year career. Favors averaged career-lows of 5.3 points and 4.7 rebounds this season in 39 games with the Thunder (16.7 minutes per night).
While Favors’ per-minute averages are still decent, he’s been trending downward the past few seasons.
Daigneault also said that Kenrich Williams is doubtful to return to action this year as he continues to deal with a sprained knee. He has been sidelined even longer than Favors, since February 14.
Williams, 27, has emerged as a valuable three-and-D role player over the past couple seasons with OKC, averaging a combined 7.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists on .501/.391/.559 shooting in 115 games (21.7 minutes). His $2MM salary for next season is non-guaranteed.
The tanking Thunder currently hold a 22-54 record, which is the fourth-worst mark in the league according to our reverse standings.
Projected Top-Five Pick Jaden Ivey Declares For Draft
Purdue guard Jaden Ivey plans to enter the 2022 NBA Draft, he announced on social media (via Twitter). He’s currently No. 4 on ESPN’s big board.
The sophomore standout didn’t specify whether he will hire an agent and thus lose his remaining college eligibility, but it would be shocking if he went back to school considering he’s projected to be a top-five pick in the draft.
After averaging 11.1 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.9 assists on .399/.258/.726 shooting as a freshman (24 games, 24.2 minutes), Ivey emerged as one of the best players in the country this season, averaging 17.3 PPG, 4.9 RPG and 3.1 APG on .460/.358/.744 shooting (36 games, 31.4 minutes per contest).
Ivey helped lead Purdue to a 29-8 record and a No. 3 seed in the NCAA tournament in 2021/22, where they ultimately lost in the Sweet Sixteen to the historic No. 15 seed, Saint Peter’s.
Standing 6’4″ with a nearly 6’10” wingspan, Ivey is an electric athlete and considered one of the most physically gifted prospects in the draft, according to Jonathan Givony of ESPN. Ivey improved his perimeter shooting and picked his spots better as a sophomore, but still struggled at times as a decision-maker.
Ivey’s physical tools theoretically point to great defensive potential, but Givony states that Ivey frequently lost focus on the less-glamorous end of the court, especially off the ball. Still, he’s a special athlete who’s able to shift gears and blow past opponents, which could translate well to the more open, pace-and-space NBA game.
NBA Updates Salary Cap Projection For 2022/23
The NBA has released another update to the projected salary cap for next season, informing teams that it’s now projecting a $122MM salary cap and a $149MM luxury tax line for 2022/23, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
On February 4, the league informed teams of a projected $121MM salary cap and a $147MM lux tax line, so both figures have increased slightly over the past seven-plus weeks.
The cap projections for 2022/23 have been steadily on the rise over the last year-and-a-half. During the 2020 offseason, the NBA estimated a $115.7MM cap and a $140MM tax line for ’22/23. In August 2021, the league increased those estimates to $119MM and $145MM.
The latest increased projections likely won’t have a significant impact on teams’ plans during free agency this summer, but teams that project to have cap room can plan on having a little more space than they originally anticipated, while clubs that will be at or above the tax line can expect a small amount of relief.
The NBA’s salary cap for the 2021/22 season is $112,414,000, with a tax threshold of $136,606,000. If the cap for next season comes in at $122MM, as projected, it would be an increase of $9.6MM on this season’s figure — that would be the biggest single-year bump since 2016, when the cap spiked to $94.1MM from $70MM.
Wizards Notes: Porzingis Trade, Satoransky, Special Someone
With the Wizards set to face the Mavericks on Friday night for the first time since the trade deadline, Tim Cato and Josh Robbins of The Athletic reassessed the deal that sent Kristaps Porzingis and a protected 2022 second-round pick to Washington in exchange for Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans.
Cato and Robbins agree that it was a win-win trade for the two teams. Porzingis’ time in Dallas had clearly run its course, but he has been productive with Washington, averaging 21.8 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 3.1 APG, and 1.6 BPG on .472/.305/.866 shooting in 13 games. He has been a willing passer and aggressive in the post, averaging 7.5 free throw attempts.
In addition to his production, Robbins writes that the Wizards are happy with Porzingis’ approach and toughness — the 7’3″ big man played through a couple of ankle sprains in recent games.
Dinwiddie, meanwhile, has thrived in a complementary role in Dallas, where his role is more clearly defined. Through 18 games with his new club, he is averaging 17.2 PPG, 3.4 RPG, and 4.2 APG on .498/.386/.720 shooting.
Dinwiddie has been able to spot-up for threes and drive-and-kick as a secondary or tertiary ball-handler next to Luka Doncic and Jalen Brunson. Bertans is still struggling to convert shots, but the team is holding out hope that might change over time.
Here’s more on the Wizards:
- Porzingis doesn’t expect the game against the Mavs to be as wild as when he played the Knicks for the first time after being dealt to Dallas, writes Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington. “I think it’s going to be a good game. It’s not going to be like my first game with Dallas in New York. That one was just crazy. This one is going to be a bit more just me competing against my old team. We’ll see,” he said.
- Tomas Satoransky had a uniquely historic night on Wednesday, as Hughes relays in a separate story. Satoransky had a double-double without scoring a point, becoming just the third player in league history to accomplish the feat. The unselfish guard finished with 10 rebounds and 13 assists against just two turnovers, while shooting 0-of-2 from the field in the team’s 127-110 win over Orlando. “I don’t know if it’s good or bad, you know? I don’t know,” Satoransky joked. “I just let the game come to be a little bit. I was trying to be aggressive, but every time I would drive or was aggressive to the basket, it opened up space for my teammates. So, I tried to push the tempo from the beginning and I got some rebounds.” The 30-year-old veteran will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
- The Wizards lack a “special someone” to set the team on the path to becoming a consistently winning franchise, according to David Aldridge of The Athletic. Washington definitely has some talented players, but no clear leader or catalyst.