Atlantic Notes: Williams, Achiuwa, K. Johnson, Nets Lineup
A Grant Williams foul on Celtics star Jayson Tatum resulted in an ejection for the former Boston forward on Friday night (video link via NBA.com). Teammate Jaylen Brown took offense to the foul – ruled a flagrant two – and approached Williams after the hit, questioning his motives, according to The Athletic’s Jay King.
“It was for sure intentional,” Brown said. “What are we talking about here? Did y’all see the same play that I’m seeing? He hit him like it was a football play, like (former NFL linebacker) Ray Lewis coming across the middle or something. It is what it is. Grant knows better than that.”
Williams said he was trying to make a play on the ball and that the collision looked worse than it actually was. The Hornets forward said “if [Tatum] had prepared and actually turned his head to the left,” it wouldn’t have looked as gnarly.
“It was just a hard foul,” Williams said. “And we play them again tomorrow. It’s nothing crazy or beyond the means. We all know JT’s my guy, so nothing intentional.”
Celtics players weren’t so sure. Both Brown and Derrick White chided Williams for the play after the game. While the Hornets forward called Tatum one of his closest friends in the league, Brown made it clear there was nothing friendly about Williams’ play.
“Actions speak loud,” Brown said. “So it is what it is. We got the win, we’ll move on, but there’s no place in the game for that. I thought JT and him was friends. I guess not.”
Williams jokingly said after the game that he was preparing to have his former Celtics teammates over to his house after the game, but that they probably wouldn’t take him up on the offer anymore. Friday’s game served as a reunion for more than Williams. Former Celtic Kemba Walker is on Charlotte’s coaching staff, while Hornets head coach Charles Lee served as Joe Mazzulla‘s assistant last year.
We have more from the Atlantic Division:
- Knicks big man Precious Achiuwa is making good progress from his hamstring strain, but head coach Tom Thibodeau says he’s still not practicing, according to the New York Post’s Stefan Bondy. “He’s doing a little more on the court,” Thibodeau said. “Once a guy can start doing stuff on the court, then usually he’ll travel with us. Sometimes it’s better to keep him back [in New York] because we can do more rehab stuff at the facility.“
- The Nets received a spark off the bench from Keon Johnson in a Friday win over the Bulls, Bridget Reilly of the New York Post writes. In just five second-quarter minutes, he hit five shots in a row, including a pair of three-pointers and a dunk. Johnson, who finished with a season-high 12 points in just nine minutes on the night, is on a minimum-salary contract that’s partially guaranteed ($700K) for this season and includes a team option for next season.
- Nic Claxton hasn’t been starting for the Nets as he recovers from an offseason injury that held him out of the preseason. But as the New York Post’s Brian Lewis writes, head coach Jordi Fernandez is going to have to make some tough calls when it comes to who remains in the lineup when the team is fully healthy. The Nets have six players who have a case to start: Claxton, Dennis Schröder, Cam Thomas, Cameron Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith and Ben Simmons. Out of those options, Johnson, Finney-Smith or Simmons are probably the likeliest candidates to move to the bench. “I mean, whatever. Personally, I feel like if I’m at full strength, then I’m a starter,” Simmons said. “That’s just what goes. But, yeah.“
Heat Notes: Rotation, Smith, Adebayo, Butler, Jaquez
The Heat are fluctuating between a nine- and 10-man rotation to start the season, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald writes. Jaime Jaquez Jr., Duncan Robinson and Thomas Bryant have been the biggest fixtures in the second unit. Beyond those three, Haywood Highsmith, Alec Burks and two-way player Dru Smith are next up in the rotation, with their playing time varying from game to game.
Smith, in particular, stood out in Wednesday’s loss to the Knicks. Even before the game was out of reach, he played over Highsmith and Burks (who each received DNPs). Smith recorded two points, four rebounds and three blocks in 16 minutes.
“I thought he was really good in the first half,” head coach Erik Spoelstra said of Smith playing over Highsmith and Burks. “Some of that defensive pressure and the spark, that kind of shifted momentum and that made those minutes, not just Dru but that second unit. But that didn’t necessarily happen in the second half with that unit.”
Smith played among the second unit often in the preseason. His role may change when Josh Richardson is healthy for the Heat, but they’ve also clearly been impressed by the guard, who has spent most of his professional career in their development system since going undrafted in 2021. He’s a candidate to be converted to a standard deal at some point in the season.
We have more from the Heat:
- Despite an offseason push to run a more efficient offense after finishing in the bottom 10 in offensive rating the past two seasons, the Heat are struggling again in the early going, Chiang writes. It’s early and the Heat have only played four games, but Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler haven’t been offenesive sparks. Neither player is averaging more than 16.8 points per game and their efficiency is largely down. Adebayo signed a three-year max extension this offseason, while Butler will reportedly play out this year of his deal before opting out to enter free agency in 2025. The Heat know they need to get their stars more involved. “We just got to know where the ball got to go. We got to find our guys, put them in a spot to be successful,” Butler said. “I think we got to be better at that. Seeing the mismatches, knowing when somebody ain’t have the ball for a minute and give it to them and let them attack.”
- Being healthier than last season has provided Miami with its own set of unique challenges, Chiang writes in a separate post. Tyler Herro and 2024 trade deadline acquisition Terry Rozier are still learning to play together. “We have the benefit now of having everybody healthy and ready to go,” Spoelstra said. “These are good challenges to have is to figure out how to be aggressive. Everybody wants to make it work. If you have more weapons, sometimes it takes a little bit of time to get on the same page. But we will, guys have great intentions.“
- As the Heat prepare to tip off in Mexico City, they have a player with ties to Mexico who’s taking it all in. Even after just one season, Jaquez has established himself as a star in Mexico, Chiang writes in another piece. “I think my ultimate goal is to share the game I love with people around the world,” the Mexican-American forward said. “I know it speaks loud to people knowing that I have Mexican heritage and to be able to play down there in front of all those fans, especially those young kids. It’s going to be inspiring for them just to be able to see that. Hopefully we get a new generation, a new wave of great Mexican, Latino basketball players who want to follow this and pursue it as their passion.” According to Chiang, Jaquez hasn’t decided if he’ll represent USA Basketball or the Mexican national team moving forward.
Central Notes: Mobley, Cavs, Dosunmu, Bulls
While searching for a new head coach this offseason, the Cavaliers sent out a request for all candidates to come prepared with an outline for Evan Mobley‘s future, according to Fred Katz of The Athletic. Now-head coach Kenny Atkinson presented a plan for how Mobley could continue building his relationship with Jarrett Allen in the frontcourt and space the floor despite not being a traditional shooter, like Draymond Green in Golden State.
“[Atkinson]’s just empowering me, like, ‘You gotta go and attack. Look to score for us,’” Mobley said. “And he does that with everybody. If someone is open on the wing and they pass up a shot, shoot it. That’s his whole philosophy.”
The Cavaliers have big plans for Mobley, including turning him into more of an offensive hub. The team wants him to score more in transition and believes he’ll be even more of a passing threat if teams think he’s looking to score at all times.
Atkinson’s vision is paying off in the early going for Mobley, who spent the offseason building bulk and muscle, according to Katz. He’s bringing up the ball at a career-high rate and his 18.3 points per game would also be a career high if it holds through the season.
“[Mobley] more so has a more a ‘f— you’ attitude this year,” teammate Tristan Thompson said. “I think this summer was good for him developing. Like, he knows he’s that guy. I think sometimes you gotta have that arrogant confidence in yourself. Before, he was kinda playing timid. … But now it’s more like, he knows he’s a f—ing problem.”
We have more from the Central Division:
- Mobley isn’t the only Cavalier enjoying early-season success, with the team as a whole out to a 6-0 start. As ESPN’s Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst write in an Insider-only story, the Mobley-Donovan Mitchell duo is the team’s most used two-man grouping, a change from last season that’s paying dividends. According to Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor (subscription required), the team’s +102 point differential through six games is the best in franchise history. In a separate subscriber-only story, Fedor writes that depth is helping drive Cleveland’s hot start, with players like Ty Jerome standing out at the back end of the rotation.
- In the same ESPN+ story, Bontemps and Windhorst explore Pacers‘ star Tyrese Haliburton‘s slow start to the season and where the Bucks can go from here after a disappointing 1-4 start.
- Ayo Dosunmu‘s role with the Bulls has fluctuated since he entered the league, as he has spent time as a starter and filling more of a sixth man role. Through six games this season, Dosunmu has yet to make a start. However, according to the Chicago Sun-Times’ Joe Cowley, Dosunmu doesn’t care whether he starts or not. “I believe I’m a starting-caliber player in this league,” Dosunmu said. “[Bulls coach Billy Donovan] does also. But whatever it may be to help the team win, that’s the route I go.“
- The Bulls are off to a resilient start to the season, The Athletic’s Darnell Mayberry writes. They’ve orchestrated two 20-point comebacks in their 3-3 start to the season. “We know who we are,” forward Patrick Williams said. “We’ve got a bunch of competitors in this locker room, a lot of guys that don’t want to lose and love to win. I think that shows through the way that we play. We’ve got to get back to the drawing board on why we’re getting in these deficits in the first place. Against the best teams, you can’t come back from 20 down.“
And-Ones: Chiozza, McRae, 2025 Mock, Fouls
Former NBA point guard Chris Chiozza signed with Manisa Basket, according to a release from the team (Twitter link). Chiozza joins the Turkish club after spending last season with Baskonia and the 2022/23 season with the G League’s Long Island Nets.
Chiozza, 28, went undrafted in 2018 out of Florida. He signed a 10-day deal with the Rockets in 2019, catching on for the rest of the season. He was then waived and spent consecutive years on two-way contracts with Washington, Brooklyn and Golden State. His biggest role came in Brooklyn in 2019/20, averaging 6.4 points and 3.1 assists in 15.4 minutes per game across 18 appearances (two starts).
In all, Chiozza holds career averages of 3.3 PPG and 2.4 APG in 91 career games. He last appeared in an NBA game in ’21/22 with Golden State.
We have more from around the basketball world:
- Former NBAer Jordan McRae signed with Italian club Givova Scafati, according to Sportando. A second-round pick in 2014, McRae holds 123 games of NBA experience. He played for Cleveland, Phoenix, Denver, Detroit and Washington over the course of his career and was part of the Cavaliers’ 2016 title team that overcame a 3-1 series deficit. McRae found his biggest success at the NBA level from 2018-20, averaging 9.5 points and 2.0 assists in 56 games (four starts) with the Wizards.
- To little surprise, in his most recent 2025 NBA mock draft, Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman has the Nets selecting Duke’s Cooper Flagg at No. 1 overall. Rutgers’ Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey round out the top three, while VJ Edgecombe comes in at No. 4. UNC’s Drake Powell (No. 6), Illinois’ Kasparas Jakucionis (No. 8), Texas’ Tre Johnson (No. 9) and BYU’s Egor Demin (No. 14) are a few of Wasserman’s other notable lottery picks.
- Fouls and free throws have defined the opening portion of the regular season, The Athletic’s John Hollinger writes. The 99 combined free throws attempted by the Sixers and Raptors on Friday were the most combined by two teams in a game since 2017, and the free throw rate is up by over 20% across the league. Hollinger explores the phenomenon with points of view from several coaches. “There’s been an emphasis historically, over the last several years, on freedom of movement. That concept having specific application in pick-and-roll is something that’s significant,” Hawks coach Quin Snyder said. ”Coaches adjust, players adjust to how things are being called, and if that’s something we have to adjust to, we will.“
Grizzlies Sign Jay Huff To Four-Year Contract
8:55pm: Huff has officially signed the multiyear deal, according to a team press release.
3:32pm: The Grizzlies are converting center Jay Huff from his two-way deal to a standard, four-year contract, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link). Memphis has an open 15-man roster spot, so no corresponding move is necessary.
Huff has been outstanding for the Grizzlies to begin the year, averaging 13.3 points and 3.3 rebounds per game while shooting 63.6% from the field and 57.1% from beyond the arc. He has helped the Grizzlies win two of their first three games to open the season.
The Grizzlies could theoretically have kept Huff on his two-way deal well into the season, as teams are permitted to have two-way players active for 50 games apiece if they have 15 players on the standard roster or 90 combined games if they have 14 (like the Grizzlies did).
However, given the way Huff impressed the team in training camp, the preseason, and the regular season, the front office decided there was no reason to wait on promoting him.
As in recent years, Memphis is rewarding an impressive young player who had been on a two-way deal with a team-friendly long-term contract. GG Jackson, Vince Williams Jr. and Scotty Pippen Jr. each followed a similar path, with Pippen’s promotion occurring less than two weeks ago.
Huff went undrafted in 2021 after playing his college ball at Virginia. He spent time on two-ways with the Lakers, Wizards and Nuggets, but didn’t catch on with any of them at the NBA level despite earning Defensive Player of the Year honors in the G League in 2023.
The Grizzlies now have a two-way slot available. They can fill that with any player with fewer than four years of NBA experience. Maozinha Pereira, who earned a 10-day contract with the team and spent training camp with the Grizzlies, is one option worth keeping an eye on.
Jayson Tatum, Anthony Davis Named Players Of The Week
Celtics star forward Jayson Tatum and Lakers star forward/center Anthony Davis were named the NBA’s Players of the Week for the stretch of Oct. 22-27, the league announced (Twitter link). Tatum was the Eastern Conference’s winner, while Davis claimed the Western Conference award.
Tatum helped the Celtics to a 3-0 start to the season, which included blowout wins over the Knicks and Wizards. In his first three games, Tatum averaged 33.0 points, 6.3 rebounds and 6.0 assists while shooting a blistering 54.7% from the field and 48.6% from beyond the arc.
Davis has also shot the ball extremely well to open the year, connecting on a .571/.400/.800 line. He has helped the Lakers win against three playoff hopefuls this year, defeating the Timberwolves, Suns and Kings to remain undefeated. Davis is averaging 34.0 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 2.3 blocks and 1.7 steals per game to open the year.
According to the league (Twitter link), the other nominees in the East were Cleveland’s Jarrett Allen, Charlotte’s LaMelo Ball, Philadelphia’s Tyrese Maxey, Orlando’s Franz Wagner and Atlanta’s Trae Young. Phoenix’s Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren, the Clippers’ James Harden and Ivica Zubac, and the Lakers’ LeBron James were nominated in the West.
Nets Exercise Third-Year Options For Noah Clowney, Dariq Whitehead
The Nets have exercised the third-year rookie scale team options on Noah Clowney and Dariq Whitehead for the 2025/26 season, according to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto (Twitter link).
[RELATED: Decisions On 2025/26 Rookie Scale Team Options]
Clowney, the No. 21 overall pick in the 2023 draft, is continuing to increase his playing time with Brooklyn. He appeared in just 23 games (making four starts) with the Nets in his rookie season, but he gradually grew into his role. Clowney made 10 appearances from the beginning of last year to mid-spring, but he played in the final 13 games of the season, averaging 8.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per night.
Through three games this fall, Clowney is averaging 9.0 PPG and 4.0 RPG off the bench. He’s on the books for $3.24MM this season and about $3.40MM in 2025/26.
Whitehead was drafted just one spot after Clowney at 22nd overall last year. However, he was sidelined with a left shin injury and has only made a total of three NBA appearances. His contract becoming guaranteed for a third year was less certain than Clowney after he shot 14.6% from the field in summer league and 22.2% in the preseason. Still, he’s just 20 years old and has tantalizing athletic upside, so he makes sense for a young Brooklyn squad.
He’s under contract for $3.11MM this season and $3.26MM in 2025/26.
As we outlined on Sunday, rookie scale options for ’25/26 are due Thursday.
Atlantic Notes: Schröder, Sixers, Holiday, Towns
The Nets acquired guard Dennis Schröder at the trade deadline last season and he’s established himself as an efficient producer in Brooklyn. Across 32 outings with the Nets, he has averaged 15.2 points and 6.1 assists per game while connecting on 42.8% of his shots from beyond the arc. In just three games this season, he’s shooting a scorching 55.6% clip from three (6.0 attempts) and averaging 20.7 PPG as a full-time starter.
According to ClutchPoints’ Erik Slater (Twitter link), Schröder’s continues to signal that he’s interested in staying in Brooklyn long term.
“When I first got traded here, they texted my mom, texted my wife, sent them flowers,” Schröder said. “I love things like that. My teammates from the first day were talking to me, and they made me feel comfortable. That’s all you can ask for. The front office and all those guys, social media guys, everybody is just cool and making sure the players are straight. That’s the reason why I can see myself being here long-term.
“… But it’s a business at the same time, and whenever a decision is made, I just go with it and always remind myself that it’s the best league in the world. So it doesn’t matter where [I’m playing]. Even if I get traded, I always gotta see the positive side of it. But I want to stay here.”
Schröder is under contract through the rest of this season for about $13MM. He’s set to become an unrestricted free agent next offseason.
We have more from the Atlantic Division:
- The Sixers are determining their identity without stars Joel Embiid and Paul George, writes The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Keith Pompey. “We’ve got a lot of pulling it together, figuring out who we are and all that kind of stuff,” head coach Nick Nurse said before Sunday’s first victory of the season. “I know everybody wants to win yesterday, right? But understand, it’s not that easy to do.” Neither Embiid nor George are participating in five-on-five drills yet. Andre Drummond is holding down the middle with Embiid out, while players like KJ Martin, Jared McCain and Guerschon Yabusele have seen some extended run off the bench.
- Boston swung for the fences last year by making moves to add Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday, the latter of which came just before the season. The Athletic’s Jared Weiss writes that the team’s faith in Holiday led to the Celtics‘ 18th title, and they’ll continue to rely on him in their efforts to repeat. “When Jrue’s at his best, he’s not thinking,” head coach Joe Mazzulla said. “He’s just instinctually reacting and he can change a defensive possession and change an entire game.“
- Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau coached Karl-Anthony Towns in Minnesota, helping lead the Timberwolves to a playoff appearance that ended a 13-season drought in 2017-18. However, the Wolves got out to a 19-21 start in the following season and Thibodeau was out. Now, according to Newsday’s Barbara Baker, Thibodeau is excited about getting the chance to coach an older, wiser version of Towns. “You can have a player young in their career and they tend to want to get themselves established first,” Thibodeau said. “As they mature and get older, they realize it’s very difficult to do it individually. You have to do it collectively.“
Atlantic Notes: George, Embiid, Knicks, Hauser, Queta
Sixers star Paul George is continuing to progress well in his recovery from a bone bruise in his knee, but he will not be available for Philadelphia’s upcoming two-game road trip, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports (Twitter link). The next update on George’s availability will come early next week, per Charania.
Earlier Thursday, head coach Nick Nurse said both George and Joel Embiid were participating in “most of the action” at practice (Twitter link via The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Keith Pompey). The duo did not participate in the five-on-five scrimmages but were doing some live work.
As we previously relayed, the NBA officially launched an investigation into Embiid’s player participation. He has already been ruled out for the first three games of the year. Without George or Embiid in the season opener, the Sixers lost by 15 points to Milwaukee. They next travel to Toronto and Indiana.
We have more from the Atlantic Division:
- The new-look Knicks were the talk of the offseason after making massive swings by acquiring Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges via trade. However, they were defeated by 23 points in the opener against the Celtics, allowing 132 points. According to the New York Post’s Peter Botte, the Knicks are aiming to recovery quickly, starting at the defensive end. “That’s championship-level basketball. For us, it was a punch in the mouth and we gotta respond,” guard Miles McBride said. “Obviously, it’s a long year. Can’t overreact to one game, but I don’t think that’s how you go into a year and set the tone.“
- Bridges acknowledged that the Knicks know they’re a work in progress, according to SNY Knicks (Twitter video link). “It’s not going to be right away,” Bridges said. “It’s going to take time and building. You can be a mediocre, a solid to okay team, but that’s not what we’re striving to be. We have to continue and get better every day.” The Knicks made the second round of the playoffs last year but struggled with injuries through the end of the year.
- Celtics wing Sam Hauser, who played 24 minutes in the season opener and scored 10 points, missed Boston’s Thursday game against the Wizards, observes Spotrac’s Keith Smith (Twitter link). He’s dealing with lower back soreness.
- Neemias Queta made a case for more minutes in the Celtics‘ win over the Wizards on Thursday, Brian Robb of MassLive writes. Queta scored 12 points and seven rebounds in just 14 minutes played, holding his own against Washington’s bigs. As Robb writes, the 25-year-old could help ease Al Horford‘s workload with Kristaps Porzingis sidelined.
Southeast Notes: Bufkin, Wizards, Carrington, Magic, Heat
Hawks second-year guard Kobe Bufkin suffered a partially dislocated right shoulder during a practice, the team announced Thursday in a press release. It’s the second time Bufkin has dislocated his shoulder in the last six months — he previously suffered the same injury ahead of Las Vegas Summer League in July.
Bufkin has had a rough go with injuries over the course of his young career. He was limited to just 17 games in his rookie season in 2023/24 after dealing with a fractured thumb and sprained toe. He averaged 4.8 points in 11.5 minutes per contest in his healthy appearances.
According to the Hawks’ release, Bufkin and the team are determining treatment options and an update will be provided at a later date. He’s likely to miss at least a few weeks. In the wake of his injury, guard Dyson Daniels will continue to get expanded opportunities.
In addition to not having Bufkin for Friday’s game, the Hawks are also listing Bogdan Bogdanovic as out with right hamstring tendinopathy, according to Lauren Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
We have more from the Southeast Division:
- The Wizards are once again expected to finish toward the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings this season, but The Athletic’s Josh Robbins observes that there’s now a sense of purpose in the rebuild. With younger players like Bilal Coulibaly and Corey Kispert under contract for the foreseeable future, and 2024 draft picks Alex Sarr, Carlton Carrington and Kyshawn George in the building, the Wizards have a sound core. “When I first came here, there really wasn’t infrastructure,” said forward Kyle Kuzma. “Everything was on the fly, you know? [Now, there’s] much more of a sense of purpose in that department.” In a similar story, The Washington Post’s Varun Shankar writes that 2023 hires Michael Winger (president of Monumental Basketball) and Will Dawkins (general manager) have been crucial in this process. Shankar also explores potential steps forward and considers which players could be on the move this year.
- Sarr, this year’s No. 2 overall pick, made his NBA debut on Thursday against the Celtics. He finished with two points, five rebounds and two blocks. Carrington started the game next to Jordan Poole at the guard spot, while George played off the bench. According to Wizards PR (Twitter link), the team’s opening-night starting lineup (Sarr, Poole, Carrington, Coulibaly, and Kuzma) was the youngest in franchise history.
- Carrington landed awkwardly following a layup attempt in the fourth quarter of the season-opening loss to Boston, Robbins observes (Twitter link). He was down for a while before limping off the court to the Wizards’ locker room. The rookie guard finished his NBA debut with three points, two assists and two blocks.
- The Magic defeated the Heat in dominant fashion in their season opener, leading by as many as 32 points, with forward Paolo Banchero pouring in 33. According to Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel, the team’s three-point focus and depth were key takeaways, while Gary Harris‘s dominance from beyond the arc (he made six of his nine three-point attempts for 18 points) is something to note. “It sets the tone for what the standard is with this team,” Banchero said. “Everyone was telling each other this was a hell of a game setting the tone but this is setting the tone for how we’ve got to be every night.“
- On the other side of the court, the 116-97 home loss to the Magic was a crushing blow to open the season for a Heat team that was enthusiastic about its new offensive system in the preseason. As Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes, Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo combined for just 12 points on 15.4% shooting in the loss. “Offensively, we have to trust some of the things that we’ve been working on in the preseason,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “It has looked a lot different than this. But obviously that’s a very good defense. That’s a top-five defense. They’re very active, long. So you have to trust what we do even more.“