Central Notes: Siakam, Bucks, Pistons Offseason
So far in the playoffs, Pascal Siakam has been everything the Pacers had hoped he’d be when they traded for him at the deadline, IndyStar’s Dustin Dopirak writes. In two postseason contests vs. the Bucks, Siakam is averaging 36.5 points, 12.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists while making 64.6% of his shots. He helped propel the Pacers to a Game 2 victory.
“I just was taking what’s out there,” Siakam said after Game 2. “I don’t feel like I’m trying anything or forcing anything. Just playing within the flow of the offense. Just not thinking about anything and taking whatever is there.”
Milwaukee has done a solid job of defending Tyrese Haliburton, forcing Siakam to be the offensive focal point of the team. He has thrived in that role thus far.
“Pascal’s a guy that naturally has a personality and a presence that is poised,” coach Rick Carlisle said after Game 2. “He just doesn’t get rattled. He plays the game at his pace. He’s a unique player. His experience shows and he had a lot of big plays for us tonight.”
Siakam has a championship ring from his time with the Raptors. As Kelly Iko of The Athletic writes, the veteran forward was able to establish himself as a vocal leader after he joined Indiana in January, which isn’t the role he filled during the 2019 championship season in Toronto.
“It’s different,” Siakam said. “I’m usually not a talkative person. And it’s something that in the past, in a different situation, it was always a hope that [I] talked a little bit more but I’m coming in, putting in the work every single day and leading by example. But I was challenged with this group to talk. It feels better when it feels like your voice is received well — once you talk, the guys are looking, hearing and feeling like they want to get whatever information you have. It’s been good, I enjoy it. It’s another part of my growth as a player.”
We have more from the Central Division:
- With the Bucks struggling to contain Siakam, Eric Nehm of The Athletic explores what Milwaukee needs to do to stop him. Since Giannis Antetokounmpo it out with a calf injury, there aren’t easy answers. Nehm writes that Khris Middleton is too small to stop Siakam, while Bobby Portis and Brook Lopez are slower than him. In order to help mitigate the Siakam issue, the Bucks should guard him closer on the three-point line, get more physical with him, and be more disciplined about not blowing coverages, Nehm writes.
- The Pistons are coming off the most disappointing season in franchise history and have work to do to not only improve in the short term, but set up an infrastructure of winning around some of their pieces. The Athletic’s James L. Edwards III explores several moves Detroit could make to set up their franchise for success. Edwards writes that the team shouldn’t be afraid to explore moving Jaden Ivey or Jalen Duren in trades given their high value across the league relative to the rest of the team.
- In order for the Pistons to have a successful offseason, they’ll need to nail their hire for the head of basketball operations, Omari Sankofa II of Detroit Free Press writes. Like Edwards, Sankofa believes the Pistons could look to trade their first-round draft pick. Outside of that, Sankofa wants to see the team to add plus defenders across the lineup, not hesitate to spend money, and sign Cade Cunningham to a max extension.
Stephen Curry Named 2023/24 Clutch Player Of The Year
Warriors superstar guard Stephen Curry has won the NBA’s Clutch Player of the Year award for the 2023/24 season, according to an announcement from the league (Twitter link). The Clutch Player of the Year is defined as the player who “best comes through for his teammates in the clutch” during the regular season.
Curry beat out Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chicago’s DeMar DeRozan for the honor. In his age-35 season, Curry averaged 26.4 points, 4.5 rebounds and 5.1 assists in 74 games while shooting 45.0% from the field and 40.8% from beyond the arc on 11.8 attempts per game.
According to Warriors PR, Curry ranked first in points (189), field goals (59) and three-pointers (32) in the clutch this season. Clutch time is defined by the league as the last five minutes of a game in which the score is within five points. He shot 45.7% on three-pointers in clutch scenarios this year and the Warriors went 24-24 in clutch games this season.
Curry received 45 of 99 possible first-place votes and tallied 298 points, with DeRozan finishing as a close runner-up (34 first-place votes; 272 points), per the NBA (Twitter link). Gilgeous-Alexander received 11 first-place votes and 160 points.
Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, Knicks guard Jalen Brunson and Mavericks guard Luka Doncic each received first-place votes and rounded out the top six finishers. A total of 15 players showed up on at least one ballot, with Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards and Celtics forward Jayson Tatum also earning one first-place vote apiece.
Curry helped lead the Warriors to the No. 10 seed and a play-in berth before they were eliminated by the Kings.
De’Anthony Melton Active For Sixers In Game 3
Sixers guard De’Anthony Melton is active and available for the team ahead of Game 3 against the Knicks (Twitter link via PHLY Sports’ Kyle Neubeck).
Melton went through shootaround earlier today, per ESPN’s Tim Bontemps (Twitter link), but it’s unlikely he’ll have a big role after barely playing this calendar year. We noted earlier today that Melton was trending toward a Game 3 return.
“He’s always an impactful player when he’s out there,” teammate Tyrese Maxey said of Melton in a story from Neubeck. “One thing I can say as a co-worker and friend, he really works. There’s never been a moment that he’s been down, he’s worked every single day to try to come back. He hasn’t given up. As a teammate, all you can do is appreciate something like that. And if he’s able to come back, I think he can change the series.”
In 38 games (33 starts) with the Sixers this season, Melton averaged 11.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.6 steals while shooting 36.0% from deep. He has only appeared in seven games since the start of 2024 and he hasn’t played 20 or more minutes in a game since Jan. 12 while dealing with a back injury.
Melton has missed 22 of the past 24 games for the Sixers, not including either of their playoff games. Down 0-2 to the Knicks, the Sixers are banking on getting a boost in their backcourt from the veteran guard, even if he plays sparingly. In the 2023 playoffs, Melton averaged 7.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.2 steals while shooting 38.8% from three across two series.
Neubeck suggests that Melton could help get trade deadline acquisition Buddy Hield, who has struggled offensively, off the floor. Melton would be better suited to help in a series defined by physicality, athleticism, rebounding and versatility.
“[I can do] the little things,” Melton said. “Rebounding, boxing out, getting deflections, getting steals, I feel like in the playoffs every possession matters. Holding them to one possession is important.”
The Sixers have lost their two playoff games to the Knicks by a combined 10 points, including a three-point defeat on Monday that featured a controversial ending.
New York center Mitchell Robinson, who was listed as questionable, is active.
Heat Notes: Martin, Highsmith, Shooting, Adjustments, Butler
Last postseason, Max Strus and Gabe Vincent helped propel the Heat to a Finals appearance and priced themselves out of the team’s range in the offseason. Strus went on to sign a four-year, $62.3MM contract in a sign-and-trade with Cleveland while Vincent departed for the Lakers on a three-year, $33MM deal.
A similar situation may be happening this year with Caleb Martin and Haywood Highsmith, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Martin was instrumental in the Heat’s Eastern Conference Finals win over Boston last year, averaging 19.3 points per game and shooting 48.9% from three in that seven-game series. He had an up-and-down regular season in 2023/24 but just scored 21 points while making five threes against the Celtics in Game 2 of their current series.
Highsmith had a career year with Miami, averaging 6.1 PPG while shooting 39.6% on three-pointers and emerging as a key rotation player in 26 starts. He had nine points, three rebounds and one steal on Wednesday against Boston while continuing to display his impressive defense.
Martin has a player option for next season at $7.1MM that he’s likely to decline, while Highsmith will be an unrestricted free agent. As Jackson observes, the Heat project to have a payroll of $172.9MM next year if Kevin Love, Josh Richardson and Thomas Bryant pick up their small player options, which is expected, and if Martin opts out.
Jackson notes that while the Heat own the Bird rights for both players, re-signing both, or either, would put them over or extremely close to the restrictive second tax apron. Miami might be able to re-sign Highsmith without going over the second apron, but that’s a less likely scenario with Martin, who is expected to demand at least the full projected $12.8MM non-taxpayer mid-level exception, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks. Marks expects Highsmith to get between $8-10MM annually.
Miami didn’t offer Strus a contract last year but offered Vincent a four-year, $34MM deal before he signed with L.A.
We have more notes on the Heat:
- The Heat shocked the Celtics in Game 2 on Boston’s home floor (where they lost just four games in the regular season) behind a historic three-point shooting display, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald writes. Miami, without Jimmy Butler and Terry Rozier, bounced back from a 20-point loss in Game 1 to defeat the Celtics and steal home court advantage by evening the series 1-1. The Heat set a franchise record for threes in a playoff game by connecting on 23 of their 43 attempts. It is tied for the second-most three-pointers Miami has ever made in a game in franchise history. “It was a very good response just from the connectivity, the efforts, all of that,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. As observed by Heat.com’s Couper Moorhead (Twitter link), Miami now has four playoff games in the past two seasons with 50% shooting from three, all of which came against Boston. No other team has more than one such game against any opponent.
- Spoelstra made it a point of emphasis to get better looks and a higher volume of shots from beyond the arc after the Heat were out-shot 22-12 from deep in Game 1, ESPN’s Chris Herring points out. By beating Boston in Game 2, Miami became the first playoff team in the past 30 years to win by double-digits after being an underdog of 14 points or more.
- As Herring details, the Heat made it an emphasis to get Tyler Herro involved as a play-maker — he had 14 assists — and to limit Kristaps Porzingis, who finished with six points on 1-of-9 shooting. “We’ve been doubted a lot through our playoff runs, people saying we couldn’t do a lot of stuff that we did,” Bam Adebayo said. “So for me and my team, why lose belief now? Our backs are against the wall. Everybody’s against us. So just use that as fuel.“
- Despite the expectation that he’ll miss multiple weeks with his MCL injury, Butler is staying involved in the Heat’s postseason. In an Instagram post, he poked fun at the Celtics after Miami took Game 2. As Ira Winderman of South Florida’s Sun Sentinel writes, Butler has been involved in other ways too, and sent teammate Herro a more serious message ahead of Game 1. “Just before the series, [Butler] texted me to take the team and lead these guys, just make every right play,” Herro said.
Warriors Notes: Green, Thompson, Financials
During exit interviews, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr gave his most in-depth response when asked about where the franchise stands with Draymond Green, who was given a lengthy suspension this season after striking Suns center Jusuf Nurkic. According to The Athletic’s Anthony Slater, Kerr was emphatic that the franchise was going to support Green while establishing clear boundaries on his behavior going forward after two separate suspensions this year.
“He punched Jordan [Poole]. He grabbed Rudy Gobert by the neck. He flailed at [Nurkic]. That stuff, just by basic laws of society, basic norms, you can’t do that, right? So at that point, you know, when the league suspended him, it was the best thing to happen to Draymond,” Kerr said. “His career was on the line. It is on the line every day.”
The Warriors went 26-14 after Green’s second suspension with him in the lineup, securing a play-in appearance at 46-36.
“As someone who loves Draymond and values him so much, I am going to continue to help him any way that I can to live his best life, to be the best version of himself, which he really was for the last two months,” Kerr said. “I’ll be really honest, during the suspension, I was sitting there, like, ‘Can he actually get a few sessions of therapy and change? I don’t think that’s possible.’
“But whatever he did over the last three months, he was the best version of himself, not just on the court, in the locker room, leading the young guys. His teammates would all tell you how great he was.”
According to Slater, general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. said he couldn’t imagine a scenario where Green isn’t back on the team next season. He’s under contract for three more years after re-signing with the franchise last offseason.
“Draymond’s complex. His relationship with our franchise is complex,” Kerr said. “But at the core of it is a deep loyalty and passion and love, and we share that with him. That’s really tricky to reconcile. You almost don’t even try to reconcile it. You help him through it and you make sure he’s the best version of himself and you keep pushing.”
We have more Warriors notes:
- Former Warriors general manager Bob Myers weighed in on Klay Thompson‘s impending free agency, stating that he believes Thompson wants to remain with Golden State, NBC Sports Bay Area’s Jordan Elliott writes. Myers also said that Thompson will stay if he’s feels he’s appreciated and paid appropriately. For what it’s worth, Dunleavy backed up what Kerr, Green and Stephen Curry said on Wednesday, Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area writes. “Look, everybody wants Klay back,” Dunleavy said. In a similar article, Kendra Andrews of ESPN explores why the Warriors value continuity.
- As we noted on Wednesday, Thompson’s priority is to return to Golden State. Appearing on The Pat McAfee Show (YouTube link), ESPN’s Brian Windhorst says he doesn’t think the Warriors want to break up their “Big Three” and that Thompson will take a pay cut to stay. However, Windhorst questions how the Warriors can improve without spending upward of $400MM on the roster.
- While Windhorst says Thompson will take a pay cut, ESPN’s Zach Lowe says Thompson will draw interest around the league (Apple Podcast link). According to Lowe, Thompson and the Warriors “took note” of Jrue Holiday‘s $135MM extension with the Celtics. Thompson likely won’t be in line for that sort of payday, but he’s only a few months older than Holiday.
- Speaking in his exit press conference, Dunleavy expressed disappointment to be out of the playoffs and stressed that he’s under no directive to duck the luxury tax as he builds on the roster this offseason (Twitter links via The Athletic’s Marcus Thompson II and Anthony Slater). However, Dunleavy added that it’s unreasonable to pay $400MM for a roster that didn’t make the playoffs.
Kings Notes: Offseason, Monk, Year In Review
After they fell to the Pelicans in the play-in and missed the playoffs, there will be questions regarding whether or not the current build of the Kings has plateaued, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks. On one hand, a team that brought back the same starting five from last season went from the No. 3 seed to out of the playoffs. On the other, the Kings finished just two wins shy of their total from last year despite late-season injuries to Kevin Huerter and Malik Monk.
An already strong Western Conference is projected to get even stronger next year with almost every team in the conference set up to compete. Monk is the team’s most crucial free agent, but the Kings can’t offer the Sixth Man of the Year candidate more than four years and $78MM. Teams with cap space could outbid the Kings, and even if they are able to re-sign him, his $17.4MM projected first-year salary would send Sacramento into the luxury tax.
Outside of Monk, Sacramento’s potential to improve comes from the No. 13/14 pick (pending tiebreaker), Keegan Murray‘s growth, trades, and various cap exceptions. The Kings have four first-round picks and nine players earning between $2.1MM and $18MM to use in potential trades, but Marks notes that outside of the Domantas Sabonis deal, general manager Monte McNair has been relatively conservative on the trade market.
De’Aaron Fox, who has two years left on his contract, is an extension candidate this offseason, Marks notes. The Kings can currently add three more seasons at up to $165MM to his contract. If he’s named All-NBA this year, Fox would be eligible for a four-year, $267.5MM extension. If he doesn’t sign an extension by Oct. 21, he can become eligible for a four-year, $229MM deal next offseason — if he’s named All-NBA next year, he’d be eligible for a five-year, $346MM super-max deal.
We have more on the Kings:
- Monk averaged a career-best 15.4 points and 5.1 assists per game this year for the Kings, but they’re limited by the money they can offer him, The Sacramento Bee’s Chris Biderman writes. “Obviously, I think he was extremely big for us,” Fox said. “People that watched us play know that he should be Sixth Man of the Year. But at the end of the day, this is a business, and I feel like what he gave to us in his two years that he has been here, I feel like he showed his value, what he can do for a team.“
- While Fox didn’t sound overly confident that Monk would re-sign with the Kings, he said he would try to convince his former Kentucky backcourt partner to return, per The Athletic’s Anthony Slater. “For sure,” Fox said. “But money talks. You can’t play this game forever. We have such a short window to play basketball. Not everyone is going to be Bron or CP, play 19, 20 years. You have to be able to get paid whenever you can. That’s what Vince Carter told me. He played 21, 22 years. I’d love to have him back, but I don’t know what the future holds.“
- The play-in loss to the Pelicans was emblematic of Sacramento’s season as a whole, Biderman writes in a separate story. Three nights after scoring 32 against the Warriors, Murray had just 11 against New Orleans. Keon Ellis, who did a great job defending Stephen Curry, went scoreless against the Pels and was a minus-20. All season, the Kings showed they could hang with the best of the West with a 17-11 record against the top seven teams in the conference (including a 3-1 record against Denver). However, they went 0-6 against New Orleans this season and lost games to the likes of Washington, Portland and Detroit throughout the regular season. “I feel like we had really good wins and we had really bad losses,” Murray said. “So it was really a mountain-and-valley season for us. That’s something that the top teams in the West, they’re just consistent throughout the whole season.“
Terry Rozier Week-To-Week With Neck Injury
While Terry Rozier‘s neck injury is improving, he’s not healthy enough to return yet, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald (Twitter link). Rozier is considered week-to-week, with Jackson emphasizing that the injury is not considered career-threatening.
Rozier has missed the past six games for the Heat in addition to the fourth quarter of a crucial regular season game between Miami and Indiana. He later said he felt he hurt his team by trying to push through the injury.
The Heat traded for Rozier at the 2023/24 deadline in exchange for Kyle Lowry and a first-round pick, and he averaged 16.4 points, 4.2 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game for the team.
It seemed he was getting comfortable in Miami prior to the injury, averaging 23.6 PPG, 3.2 APG and 1.6 SPG while shooting 57.1% on his 9.8 three-point attempts in the five games before the Indiana matchup.
It’s another setback for an injury-plagued Miami team that is already without Jimmy Butler and Josh Richardson. While Rozier could still return in the first round, it’s a downgrade in designation from his previous day-to-day status. It seems as though Rozier will miss at least the first couple games of the series against his former team.
Given that Jackson felt the need to specify that Rozier’s injury isn’t career threatening, it may be a more serious injury than previously thought, so the Heat appear to be taking a cautious approach.
Bulls Notes: DeRozan, LaVine, Offseason, Ball, Roster
The Bulls fell to the Heat in blowout fashion on Friday, ending their postseason hopes and sending the franchise into an offseason filled with questions about the long-term futures of franchise centerpieces DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine. DeRozan, an unrestricted free agent, has repeatedly emphasized his desire to remain in Chicago. But on Friday, DeRozan sounded like a possible return would be contingent on change, NBC Sports Chicago’s K.C. Johnson writes.
“That’s still where I’m at,” he said about wanting to remain in Chicago. “But at the end of the day, I hate losing. I hate missing opportunities. It really hits you after the season when you look up and the last seconds run off. You don’t have another game. The next time I play a game will be my 16th season. You realize the window closes for you personally. I ain’t trying to play 25 years. You just want to have the opportunity to give everything great in you. My stance on wanting to be here is still the same. But I just want to win. Seeing the first round of the playoffs, the second round of the playoffs is frustrating.”
Teammates and coaches like Coby White and Billy Donovan are emphatic about wanting DeRozan to return. Donovan in particular noted Chicago’s injuries as an inhibiting factor regarding its ability to compete. Both he and general manager Arturas Karnisovas discussed the importance of continuity. DeRozan, though, said he wants the Bulls to field a competitive roster that isn’t just contending for the play-in next year, though he acknowledged Chicago’s poor injury luck.
As for LaVine, the two-time All-Star was involved in trade speculation this year before undergoing season-ending foot surgery. According to Johnson, Donovan said he still envisions LaVine being part of a winning equation in Chicago. Both Donovan and White spoke highly of LaVine on Friday.
“We’re not really focused on that (speculation about LaVine’s future),” White said. “I know what type of dude he is. I know what type of player he is and how much he cares about winning and how much he cares about the team. Everybody in this locker room knows who he is as a person. He’s been there since he had surgery, giving us motivation. I can’t thank him enough for that.”
We have more from the Bulls:
- Apart from DeRozan, Patrick Williams (restricted) and Andre Drummond are key free agents that will help dictate Chicago’s offseason direction, ESPN’s Bobby Marks writes. Lonzo Ball‘s recovery from knee injuries that have kept him out the past two-plus years will also play into the offseason plans. As Marks observes, if Ball’s injury is deemed career ending, Chicago would be allowed to remove his $21.9MM salary (player option) from the books. As for the duo of DeRozan and LaVine, the Bulls have until June 30 to extend DeRozan for up to three years and up to $129MM. Finding a taker for LaVine’s $43MM salary could be difficult, but the Bulls could benefit if a team with cap space strikes out in free agency. Alex Caruso, eligible to sign for up to four years and $78.8MM, is an extension candidate to watch.
- With White, LaVine, Caruso, Ayo Dosunmu and Dalen Terry all under contract for next season, Chicago’s guard rotation looks full. Still, according to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times, Donovan still sees plenty of room for Ball in the rotation. While there’s still uncertainty with Ball’s ability to return, as Marks mentioned, the Bulls have maintained optimism in his comeback. Donovan said if the guard rotation remains the same, he likes his players’ abilities to complement each other’s games. “When I was in Oklahoma [City], we had Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander], Chris Paul and Dennis Schröder, and I played those guys a lot together because of the IQ and the unselfishness, the way they were willing to play,” Donovan said. “… I feel really good with [White, Dosunmu and Ball] out there because of their makeup and their mindset as players.“
- While the Bulls deserve credit for overcoming a 5-14 start to the season, they’re ultimately stuck in a cycle of mediocrity and the franchise has just one playoff appearance since 2016/17, Johnson writes. In order to break the cycle, Johnson opines, the Bulls need to get creative in free agency like they did when they brought in DeRozan, Ball and Caruso in 2021.
- Despite an uninspiring season, the Bulls continue to express interest in retaining all of their free agents, which would have the organization set up to pay the luxury tax for just the second time since ’02/03. ESPN’s Jamal Collier explores how Chicago got to this point.
Southwest Notes: Ingram, Thompson, Lively, Jackson Jr.
Brandon Ingram‘s outing against the Lakers in Tuesday’s play-in loss was just his second since returning from a bone bruise that forced him to miss 12 games. Ingram was pulled from that loss with 7:38 to go in the fourth quarter and didn’t return, finishing with 25 minutes of game time.
“I just liked the group that was on the floor at the time,” head coach Willie Green said. “B.I. is still getting back. Still getting his rhythm. So I didn’t want to force the issue. I liked the group that was going.”
However, as NOLA.com’s Christian Clark observes, the Pelicans are going to need to rely on Ingram more in Friday’s play-in outing against the Kings. Zion Williamson, who scored 40 points in the loss, was ruled out with a hamstring injury he suffered near the end of Tuesday’s game.
The Pelicans saw most of their success on Tuesday with a bench-heavy lineup centered around Williamson. Meanwhile, Ingram finished with 12 points while CJ McCollum had just nine. As Clark writes, if Williamson didn’t get hurt, Green may have finished the game without either Ingram or McCollum on the floor. The Pelicans were outscored by 3.2 points per 100 possessions with Williamson, Ingram and McCollum sharing the floor this season.
We have more from the Southwest Division:
- The Magic have previously been mentioned as a potential suitor for unrestricted free agent Klay Thompson. According to The Athletic’s Sam Amick, the Mavericks are another team worth monitoring as a landing spot for Warriors‘ the five-time All-Star. Thompson had his worst shooting night of the season in the play-in against the Kings, missing all 10 of his shots. However, as Amick writes, he’d been playing better toward the end of the season, averaging 21.8 points on 41.6% shooting from deep in the 10 games after getting his starting job back.
- Dereck Lively II‘s status for Game 1 against the Clippers on Sunday is still in the air, but he went through practice on Tuesday and appeared to be moving well, Mavs.com’s Eddie Sefko reports. Lively, who has been out since March 31 after averaging 8.8 points and 6.9 rebounds per game in his rookie season, pairs with Daniel Gafford to provide a one-two punch for the Mavericks at the center position.
- The Grizzlies are looking to add more size to their rotation next season after shipping Steven Adams and Xavier Tillman out in separate deals this season. However, as Grind City Media’s Michael Wallace writes, they’re not yet committed to playing Jaren Jackson Jr. to strictly one position. “I like seeing Jaren out there at [power forward] more, with another big man, and then me coming off the bench,” teammate Brandon Clarke said. “That was kind of how it was the past four years. But we just really got to get healthy first. And we’re going to get a good pick in the draft. So, I trust the front office with what they choose. But sounds like we need somebody big and somebody strong down there for us.“
Kawhi Leonard’s Status In Question For Game 1 Vs. Mavs
Clippers star forward Kawhi Leonard is still batting inflammation in his right knee and he’ll be listed as questionable for Los Angeles’s first game in the playoffs against the Mavericks on Sunday, according to ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk. Previously, coach Tyronn Lue had said he was preparing as if Leonard would be ready to play.
President of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said Leonard hadn’t gone through contact prior to Thursday’s practice but that his knee is “solid and intact” despite “very stubborn” inflammation.
“He’s doing everything,” Frank said of Leonard. “Our medical staff is doing everything to get the inflammation down so he can play. Progress has been made, but more progress needs — the inflammation needs to continue to reduce so he can do functional basketball movements.”
Leonard hasn’t appeared in a game since March 31 while dealing with the injury after averaging 23.7 points and 6.1 rebounds per contest this season. According to Shams Charania and Mark Puleo of The Athletic, the star forward received an injection in the affected knee in early April. It’s not specified whether or not that was a PRP (platelet-rich plasma) injection.
“There is no gamesmanship here and we’re very sensitive of the fact that questions are going to be asked and want to be as transparent as possible,” Frank said. “It’s OK to say what the truth is. It’s unpredictable. We’re hoping it’s trending in the right direction. It’s a very accurate statement. When it gets to a point where he’s able to play, then that’s when he’ll be back on the court.”
According to Frank, Leonard has gone through film study to personnel but hasn’t gone through many contact portions leading up to Thursday. Frank also didn’t go into specifics when asked about the reported injection.
“We would never put Kawhi or anyone on the court if there’s grave risk or there’s risk for future injury,” Frank said. “We’re hopeful that this inflammation will get reduced and he’ll be back on the court as quickly as possible. But you can’t predict something that’s unpredictable.“