Warriors’ Kerr Responds To Kuminga’s Reported Frustration
Prior to the Warriors‘ Friday game against the Pistons, The Athletic reported Golden State forward Jonathan Kuminga had lost faith in head coach Steve Kerr due to the latter’s decision to bench the third-year forward for the final 17:48 against the Nuggets on Thursday. Kerr responded to Kuminga’s reported frustration before Golden State’s Friday victory, according to ESPN’s Kendra Andrews.
“I’ve got to get him out there for longer, but these are really difficult decisions,” Kerr said. “Because it’s not just as simple as how many minutes a guy plays. It’s who’s playing, what’s the combination, what’s happening in the game.”
According to Andrews, Kuminga and Kerr met in the 20 hours between Golden State’s back-to-back games to address the 21-year-old’s frustration.
“I think it went really well,” Kuminga said. “I think it was just all about better understanding of each other. More communication. We don’t really get to sit together as much and communicate about pretty much non-basketball things, basketball things. We don’t get to do that as much. Just us having that conversation today made me more comfortable that any time I have something to ask, I should just go up to his office. His door is open. Go up there and chill and wait for him to come back whenever. I think that’s what it’s all about, communication every single time if something is going wrong. Communication is the key.”
Kuminga wound up playing a season-high 36 minutes against the Pistons and didn’t come off the floor for the entire fourth quarter. He finished the game, his 12th consecutive start, with 11 points and six rebounds. However, The Athletic’s Anthony Slater observes Kuminga has yet to post back-to-back games with 30 or more minutes this season, so it will be interesting to monitor the trend moving forward.
“I never complained about playing time [during the meeting],” Kuminga said. “We were just talking about if I do great at something, just go back and remind him, ‘Yo, coach, what do I need to do to get better at this? What do I need to do to gain more trust or more minutes?’ Like I said, it’s more about communication and better understanding from both of us.”
Kuminga emphasized the fact the conversation was centered around gaining a “better understanding” of things, including what Kerr expects of him.
“It’s a difficult situation because every player naturally has his own goals, his own dreams,” Kerr said. “Everybody wants to flourish. Everybody wants to blossom. … I have very difficult decisions to make each and every night. JK is a young player who is growing. He’s getting better. It’s why he’s in the starting lineup.”
Kerr wasn’t the only person to speak with Kuminga before Golden State’s Friday matchup, according to Slater, who writes that Stephen Curry met with the 6’8″ forward too.
“He’s not wrong for being upset and pissed off, wanting to play,” Curry said. “Probably should’ve played. Not probably. … But the ultimate challenge for anybody in this league is to not let the narrative be told for you and you not be able to address that with your own voice or directly with Coach or whatever the case is. … There are ways to express it, ways to voice your opinion but protect the team. I’m just proud of the way he — we talked about it before the game. Go out and play. Go hoop. Be a professional. And that’s what he did.”
Slater writes a big source of the problem is the Warriors’ inability to fit Kuminga and forward Andrew Wiggins together on the floor. Kerr says he doesn’t play the two together because of their similar skill sets. Kuminga made it clear he doesn’t want it to seem like the two are fighting for minutes and is trying to make sure the pair can coexist and remain crucial parts of the team, Andrews writes.
“I love it here,” Kuminga said. “I got drafted here. There’s always ups and downs. I feel like when you look at all the ups and downs, that will confuse a lot of people. But I know Steve believes in me. I know he trusts me at this point. It was just more about communication and better understanding. It wasn’t no beef. None of that. Scratch whatever happens. It’s the past. Move on with better understanding and hoping we all can work with each other and help this team and leave everything in the past.“
Goran Dragic Officially Announces Retirement
DECEMBER 31: Dragic has officially confirmed his retirement in a statement of his own, published in a story on Instagram.
“I am officially announcing my retirement from professional basketball. I have lived my greatest dream and I am extremely grateful for the countless people in my life who have enabled me to play and to play this long,” Dragic wrote before specifically thanking several of the people who have aided him in his journey, as well as the fans who supported him.
“… I am prepared to pursue my next challenge and I’d love to stay involved in the game of basketball, which is and always will be something I love. I also want to spend as much quality time as possible to raise my children. … All good things come to an end but this dream of basketball will always be with me.”
DECEMBER 30: Fifteen-year NBA veteran and Slovenian basketball legend Goran Dragic has announced plans to retire in 2024, with a farewell game set for August, according to Mozzart Sport.
The August farewell event, hosted by Spontanzo and the Goran Dragic Foundation, is set to take place over the span of two days in Ljubljana and, according to BasketNews, the details of the match are to be unveiled on Jan. 4.
It’s unclear if Dragic, currently a free agent, intends to call it a career immediately or if he still plans to seek out an opportunity before the end of the 2023/24 season. In November, we wrote Dragic was looking for an NBA job and; a report in September indicated that he had interest in playing for the Heat. However, he has remained unsigned.
Dragic, 37, most recently suited up for the Bucks last season. He spent 51 games with the Bulls in 2022/23 before being waived in February and joining Milwaukee in March.
Dragic made his NBA debut in 2008 with the Suns, then was traded to Houston in 2011. The Slovenian point guard returned to Phoenix in 2012 and it was there he emerged into one of the league’s top floor generals.
In ’13/14, Dragic was named to the All-NBA Third Team and earned the league’s Most Improved Player award, averaging 20.3 points and 5.9 assists with Phoenix. Then, in the ’14/15 season, the Suns traded Goran and his brother, Zoran Dragic, to the Heat. Goran aided the Heat to four playoff appearances, including a run to the Finals in 2020. He was named an All-Star with Miami in ’17/18 and also had stints with the Raptors and Nets.
In 946 career NBA games (530 starts), Dragic holds career averages of 13.3 points, 4.7 assists and 3.0 rebounds.
Raptors Trade OG Anunoby To Knicks For Barrett, Quickley
2:48pm: The trade is official, the Knicks confirmed in a press release (Twitter link).
“We’re ecstatic to welcome OG, Malachi, and Precious to the Knicks family,” Knicks president Leon Rose said in a statement. “OG’s complete offensive game and ability to defend multiple positions will enhance our team on both ends of the court. Malachi and Precious are well-rounded players that will complement the hardworking and talented nature of our group. OG, Malachi, and Precious are perfect additions to the type of team and culture we are building in New York.”
The Raptors also announced the deal in a press release of their own.
“We’re excited about welcoming Immanuel and RJ to our team,” Raptors president Masai Ujiri said. “Immanuel is a young, talented playmaker who we believe will provide a spark on both ends of the court. RJ is a versatile wing who is, of course, well-known in his hometown, and seeing him in a Raptors uniform will be a special moment for our fans and for all Canadians.”
11:27am: The Raptors are finalizing a trade that will send OG Anunoby to the Knicks in exchange for a package consisting of RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley and a 2024 second-round pick, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
Forward Precious Achiuwa and guard Malachi Flynn are also headed to New York along with Anunoby in the deal, according to Wojnarowski and Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter links).
The 2024 pick the Raptors are acquiring originally belonged to the Pistons, Wojnarowski tweets, so it currently projects to be atop the second round.
The deal will see the Knicks land one of the most coveted two-way players in the league in Anunoby, who has been viewed as a prime trade candidate for much of 2023. New York has been pursuing him for “a significant period of time,” according to Wojnarowski (Twitter link), having reportedly offered multiple first-rounders for him at last season’s deadline.
The Knicks will now get a head-start on trying to retain Anunoby ahead of his potential 2024 free agency. The 26-year-old has a player option next season worth $19.9MM, which he’s expected to decline to secure a more lucrative contract.
As Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets, Anunoby will technically be extension-eligible after being acquired by the Knicks, but for the next six months, he’ll only be permitted to sign for up to two years and $40MM. On June 30, those limits will increase to four years and $117MM.
In all likelihood, whether or not he intends to re-sign with the Knicks, the seventh-year forward will opt to become a free agent, since his elite three-and-D skill set should put him in line for an even more substantial payday than he could get on an extension. Anunoby was named to the NBA’s All-Defensive team last season and has averaged 16.4 points per game with a .381 3PT% since the start of the 2020/21 season.
Moving Barrett and Quickley should help clear up a logjam and clarify the rotation in New York’s backcourt, with wings like Donte DiVincenzo and Quentin Grimes primed to take on larger roles alongside star point guard Jalen Brunson. Flynn likely won’t play regular minutes for his new team, but he’ll provide some depth at guard, while Achiuwa will give the Knicks another option up front with Mitchell Robinson out for the season.
Toronto, meanwhile, won’t get a first-round pick back for Anunoby but will instead bring in Quickley, who finished second in Sixth Man of the Year voting last year, and Barrett, a Canadian and former No. 3 overall pick. Quickley will be a restricted free agent in 2024, while Barrett is under contract through 2026/27.
Barrett loved New York and enjoyed playing for the Knicks, but if he was going to be dealt, he viewed his hometown of Toronto as a great option, sources tell Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link). The 23-year-old played for the Canadian national team in the FIBA World Cup this past summer.
Both Barrett and Quickley had seen their playing time with the Knicks dip a little in the first half of this season. Barrett averaged 18.2 points per game on .423/.331/.831 shooting in 26 starts (29.5 MPG), while Quickley posted a career-best 15.0 PPG on .454/.395/.872 shooting in 30 appearances off the bench (24.0 MPG).
The lack of first-round draft capital heading to Toronto indicates the Raptors are content with retooling, rather than outright rebuilding — that aligns with a report earlier this week, which indicated that the organization has “no appetite for a reset, teardown, or rebuild.”
It remains to be seen what Toronto does with Pascal Siakam, whose name has also come up in trade rumors in recent weeks and who is also a candidate for an extension. Depending on their plans for Siakam, the Raptors could generate a significant chunk of cap room in the 2024 offseason while still being able to re-sign Quickley, notes Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype (via Twitter).
In the shorter term, the move will open up a spot on Toronto’s roster and will keep team salary slightly below the luxury tax due to the inclusions of Achiuwa and Flynn, both of whom will be restricted free agents in 2024.
The Knicks will have to waive someone to complete the deal. According to Charania (via Twitter), that roster casualty will be DaQuan Jeffries, who was on a non-guaranteed contract and had seen limited action in just 10 games for the team this season.
Finally, it’s worth noting that the two Atlantic rivals came together to make this deal despite being engaged in a bitter legal feud off the court.
The Knicks filed a lawsuit against the Raptors in August, alleging that former employee Ikechukwu Azotam illegally took confidential files with him when he was hired by Toronto. The two teams have gone back and forth in court filings in the months since then, but it seems their front offices had no problem working with one another.
Luke Adams contributed to this story.
Trail Blazers Notes: Simons, Henderson, Reath, Bench, Grant
Anfernee Simons has become the Trail Blazers‘ franchise cornerstone, answering a looming question the organization had after trading Damian Lillard in the offseason, Jason Quick of The Athletic writes. The 24-year-old guard is averaging 27.1 points and 5.3 assists while shooting 45.6% from the field, 40.0% from beyond the arc on 9.5 attempts and 92.3% from the foul line in his first 11 games.
“I’ve put myself out there showing that I want that responsibility every night,” Simons said. “That’s how I’ve been carrying myself.”
Since returning from a thumb injury that sidelined him for 18 games, Simons had games of 41 points against the Wizards, 38 points against the Clippers and 30 against the Mavericks.
“I think Ant is on his way,” head coach Chauncey Billups said. “He’s our best offensive player, our best scorer. He’s on his way … Ant is still a young player and has a ways to go too … But to answer your question, yeah, he is our obvious offensive guy.”
Billups hasn’t been ready to outright anoint Simons as the alpha on the team, Quick writes, but that hasn’t fazed the young guard. According to Quick, Simons is continuing to try and establish himself as the franchise player by being more assertive, consistent and vocal.
With 2023 No. 3 overall pick Scoot Henderson set to develop at the point guard position, there are still some questions about their fit, but Quick says the Blazers don’t feel they need Simons to commit to either the one or the two yet.
“I just see [Simons] as a basketball player,” Billups said. “But if he had to play [point guard] full time, he would be elite. If he has to play the [shooting guard] full time, he could be elite there too. He’s gonna be doing both with the way we are constructed right now.”
We have more Trail Blazers notes:
- Simons missed the Blazers’ Thursday game against the Spurs with an illness, allowing Henderson to draw his first start since Nov. 1 (Twitter links via team and Rose Garden Report’s Sean Highkin). As Aaron Fentress of OregonLive writes, Henderson’s first NBA game against No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama was a mixed bag. Henderson had a career-high 23 points and helped the Blazers get into the game after they fell into an early hole, but he also got into early foul trouble and finished with more turnovers than assists.
- Two-way big man Duop Reath is continuing to emerge for the Trail Blazers and, in a Tuesday game against the Kings, he registered career highs of 25 points and nine rebounds. Reath joined Arvydas Sabonis and Bill Walton as the only Portland rookies to record 25 points and nine rebounds off the bench since 1975 (Twitter link via team PR) and he’s now averaging 10.5 PPG and 4.5 RPG in December. According to Fentress, the entire bench led by Reath, Henderson, Jabari Walker and Matisse Thybulle paved the way for that victory, scoring 65 combined points.
- The Blazers raised eyebrows when they gave Jerami Grant a five-year, $160MM deal on the first day of free agency with the future of Lillard in the air and the team coming off back-to-back seasons outside the playoffs. However, The Athletic’s Danny Leroux writes that both parties may end up benefiting from the deal, with Portland positioned to trade Grant to a team that misses out on signing a forward in 2024 free agency and has the cap flexibility to take on his contract.
Pistons Notes: Blame, Losing Streak, Williams, Improvement
The Pistons are in the midst of the worst losing streak in NBA history and there’s plenty of blame to go around. However, The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie, writing with James L. Edwards III, says the brunt of the responsibility is on the front office. No one move is single-handedly causing this slide, but Detroit’s front office has made several moves that didn’t make sense, according to Vecenie.
One of the Pistons’ main issues on the court is spacing and, last trade deadline, they traded away Saddiq Bey, a career 35.9% three-point shooter, in a deal for James Wiseman. Vecenie also points out the Pistons hurt their future flexibility by trading a highly protected first-round pick (which features protections through 2027) for Isaiah Stewart.
Because of these moves, the Pistons simply don’t have the depth other teams do, Vecenie writes, which has been a factor in the losing streak. Vecenie doesn’t absolve coach Monty Williams, stating the rotations that put franchise centerpiece Cade Cunningham around non-shooters are confusing.
As for the team’s short-term future, the trade deadline is approaching, and Vecenie suggests the Pistons need to target a two-way, hybrid three/four wing like Torrey Craig to help their woes on the perimeter and should only sell Bojan Bogdanovic for a huge haul.
We have more on the Pistons:
- The Pistons have bigger issues than their record-tying 28-game losing streak, ESPN’s Tim Bontemps writes. According to Bontemps’ sources, the Pistons are viewed as a team with “several stakeholders articulating different visions for the team.” Everyone from Williams to owner Tom Gores to general manager Troy Weaver to vice chairman Arn Tellem is said to have a different outlook for the organization, which hasn’t won a playoff game since 2008/09.
- While all the Pistons’ power brokers hold some responsibility for the losing streak, The Athletic’s Sam Amick is less critical of Williams, to whom Detroit awarded a six-year, $72MM contract. Williams shouldn’t be in Detroit at all, according to Amick, who says the veteran coach instead deserved to remain in Phoenix, where he became a “fall guy.”
- The Pistons almost defeated the Celtics on Thursday in a matchup between the teams with the NBA’s best and worst records. Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated writes Detroit showed fight in the overtime loss. “I think it shows we’re on the same level of all the teams we’re playing against,” Cunningham said. “There’s no team I’ve ever come across where I felt like I was going into a slaughterhouse. I’ve never felt like that in my life going into a basketball game…there’s a lot of growth in tonight, some things we can learn from and definitely take into the next game.“
Suns Notes: Beal, Durant, Booker, Metu
Suns guard Bradley Beal has been progressing well and is ahead of schedule after spraining his ankle earlier in December, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania (Twitter link). He’s now being listed as questionable for Phoenix’s Friday game against the Hornets and is set to return early in the Suns’ upcoming six-game homestand, Charania tweets.
After being traded from the Wizards to the Suns in the offseason to form a new “big three” alongside Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, Beal has been limited to just six games all season. The trio of Durant, Booker and Beal has only appeared in a single full game — Beal was injured early in their second game together.
In his six appearances this year, Beal has averaged 14.7 points and shot 42.9% from beyond the arc.
We have more from the Suns:
- While Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Durant was frustrated with the team’s play of late — they’ve dropped seven of their past 10 — Charania downplayed the notion that it was anything out of the ordinary for a struggling team (Twitter link). According to Charania, the Suns and Durant are frustrated, but there isn’t anything deeper going on.
- During the Suns’ Wednesday victory over the Rockets, Durant and Booker appeared to engage in a fiery exchange of words, according to Kelly Iko of The Athletic. However, both stars said those honest conversations are part of the growing process for the team. “It was good for us to go through some stuff early in the game to have those heated conversations where we can be like ‘All right, this is what we’re both supposed to do,’ and come back into the locker room and talk it over again,” Durant said. “Sometimes, heated conversations are good for teams because you can be honest and real with one another, and then, you talk it over and move on. We’re all figuring it out. It’s hard with a new team, new group of guys, guys in and out of the lineup. You want to get comfortable with those conversations, and I think we’re on our way there.“
- Suns big man Chimezie Metu had a career game on Christmas Day against the Mavericks, scoring 23 points and pulling down 19 rebounds, both of which were career highs. Metu played a season-high 34 minutes as Jusuf Nurkic missed the contest. “He obviously scored the ball really well, he made some great passes out of the half-roll when they were trapping [Booker and Durant] up top,” Suns guard Grayson Allen said, per Dana Scott of the Arizona Republic. “He was a really good decision maker and he’s a good lob threat in the low, in the dunker, a good finisher down there, and knocking down threes. He was really all over the court.” Metu is on a one-year, minimum-salary contract and is set to be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
Central Notes: Ball, Green, Pacers Lineup, Sasser
Bulls head coach Billy Donovan said guard Lonzo Ball was in town last week and he’s optimistic that his latest procedure to alleviate his pain worked, tweets NBC Sports Chicago’s K.C. Johnson. Ball is still ruled out for the rest of the season but, according to Johnson, he’s progressing well and is expected to resume running by January.
“Everything they’ve done in terms of progressing him, he’s handled very well,” Donovan said, per Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. “The pain he was experiencing that was causing the setback is eliminated in terms of what he’s doing now, but he hasn’t run.”
Ball hasn’t played in a game since Jan. 14, 2022 as he’s dealt with continuous injuries and setbacks. With his pain alleviated and physical activity soon to resume, his eventual return to the court looks more likely with this latest development.
In 35 games with the Bulls, Ball has averaged 13.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists. He was acquired by Chicago in the summer of 2021 in a sign-and-trade with the Pelicans. He has a player option next year for roughly $21.4MM and Cowley mentions it’s possible he returns to play sometime in the offseason or training camp, but that’s more speculation than anything.
We have more from the Central Division:
- It took some time for Bucks sharpshooter A.J. Green to find his footing in the NBA, but he finished the 2022/23 season strong and earned a guaranteed contract ahead of this year, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Jim Owczarski writes. While Green hasn’t yet earned a permanent keep in the rotation, the Bucks can count on him to come in and hit threes when needed. “Freakin’ A.J.,” Giannis Antetokounmpo said. “I feel like whenever he shoots the ball, the ball is going in.” Green is under contract for two seasons after this one, though both are non-guaranteed.
- Pacers coach Rick Carlisle made significant changes to the team’s starting lineup in their Tuesday game against the Bulls, moving Buddy Hield and Obi Toppin to the bench for Aaron Nesmith and Jalen Smith, respectively, IndyStar’s Dustin Dopirak observes. Andrew Nembhard also started in place of the injured Bruce Brown. The Pacers, who had previously lost six of their last seven, defeated the Rockets 123-117 with their new lineup.
- After finishing his collegiate career tied fifth for wins in Houston’s program history, Marcus Sasser is having to adjust as the Pistons suffer through a 28-game losing streak, tied for the longest in NBA history, Joseph Duarte of the Houston Chronicle writes. However, Sasser has been able to turn to his former college coach Kelvin Sampson for advice this year, according to Duarte. “I worry about him in his first year,” Sampson said. “But at the same time, you get paid for this, man. Suck it up, you’ll be all right.“
Gordon Hayward To Miss At Least Two Weeks
Hornets forward Gordon Hayward will be reevaluated in two weeks after suffering a left calf strain on Tuesday against the Clippers, according to a team release (Twitter link).
Hayward played just 23 minutes on Tuesday in the game he suffered the injury. He left that contest in the third quarter and did not return.
Hayward has appeared in 25 games, all starts, for the Hornets this year, averaging 14.5 points and shooting 36.1% from beyond the arc. He’s in the final season of a four-year, $120MM contract he signed with Charlotte in 2020 and will earn $31.5MM in 2023/24.
Rookie Brandon Miller is also dealing with an ankle issue, but he’s expected to play on Thursday (Twitter link via Hornets) — he and Cody Martin are among those who could take over some of the minutes left by Hayward.
And-Ones: Topic, Draft, Free Throws, Pangos, Pistons, Knicks
Nikola Topic, a projected top-10 pick in the 2024 draft, was called back to EuroLeague squad Red Star after spending the 2023/24 season so far with Mega MIS on a loan. Topic spoke to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony (Insider link) about the move and what it means for his draft value.
“It’s a huge risk, but I’m ready,” Topic said of the move. “I’m confident in myself 100%. My father, my agent Misko Raznatovic and I understand that this move could affect my draft chances if I don’t do well. But I’m ready to compete and fight.”
According to Givony, Topic replaces former NBA player Shabazz Napier, who departed for Milan, and will get a chance to play alongside former NBA guards Milos Teodosic and Nemanja Nedovic. While Red Star courted the Serbian guard heavily in recent weeks, the decision to return was ultimately Topic’s, and he’ll try to help his hometown squad overcome a 6-10 start to the year. Greek coach Giannis Sfairopoulos, who previously coached Deni Avdija, will coach Topic.
“We didn’t talk about the role I’ll play,” Topic said. “Whatever he says, I’ll do. If he says to die on the court, I will die. Whatever coach needs, I’ll try my best to do it.”
Topic has been impressive in Adriatic League play with Mega MIS so far this year, averaging 18.6 points and 6.9 assists per game and boasting a 63% true shooting percentage. According to Givony, NBA teams will be keeping a close eye on how Topic adjusts to the EuroLeague, which is considered the top level of competition in the world outside of the NBA.
Further breaking down Topic’s game, Givony writes that he’ll almost certainly be asked to adjust his play for a Red Star team ranked last in the league in pace. However, Givony expects the experience will positively benefit Topic’s defense and perimeter shooting.
“Basketball is a game of decisions,” Topic said. “It’s a mental game. Using angles. The player that makes a faster decision, that person will win. The EuroLeague is a mind game. It’s a game of reads.”
We have more notes from around the basketball world:
- In the same Insider-only story, Givony and Jeremy Woo break down other draft-related topics. As the duo notes, one reason the 2024 draft class is considered weaker than usual is the fact that it will be older than most — it has a chance to boast the oldest first-round class since 2013. Upperclassmen like Zach Edey, Kevin McCullar and Oso Ighodaro are all playing their ways into first-round consideration while freshmen like Elmarko Jackson, Aday Mara and Caleb Foster are looking more like multi-year college players rather than the one-and-dones they appeared to be before the season, the Givony and Woo explain.
- NBA coaches and players have made their feelings clear about how games are being refereed, with Warriors coach Steve Kerr among the latest to criticize the officiating this season. The Ringer’s Zach Kram argues the NBA doesn’t actually have a free throw problem though, given that free throw attempts and rates are trending downward. Kram singles out Joel Embiid as someone who’s receiving criticism for going for foul calls, but points out that Embiid leads the league in made field goals per game. Kram concludes that foul calls will always be a cat-and-mouse game for the NBA, as players will seek to push the boundaries to get free points and the league will continually react.
- Former NBA guard Kevin Pangos is joining Spanish club Valencia after terminating his contract with Olimpia Milano, according to Sportando. Pangos has previously played for Gran Canaria and Barcelona in Spain. The 6’2″ point guard played one season in the NBA in 2021/22, appearing in 24 games (three starts) and totaling 39 points and 30 assists for the Cavaliers.
- The Feb. 26 game between the Pistons and Knicks has been relocated to Madison Square Garden in New York from Detroit and will now tip off at 7:30 p.m. ET, according to a release from the NBA (Twitter link). “The cause for the change was unique scheduling complications associated with the In-Season Tournament,” the statement reads. Fred Katz of the Athletic tweets the Pistons’ 2-28 start likely factored into the decision — one team will end up playing 42 road games, and the NBA would presumably rather that team be one that’s not in playoff contention.
Pacific Notes: Wiggins, Kuminga, Green, Lakers Lineup, Theis
The Warriors have a specific lineup issue that’s impacting both this year’s outlook and the future prospects of the team, writes Tim Kawakami of The Athletic. Golden State has to determine whether Andrew Wiggins and Jonathan Kuminga — the team’s two most athletic players, in Kawakami’s view — can share the court together, especially with the trade deadline looming.
Kawakami writes that if Wiggins and Kuminga figure out how to play with one another, it would unlock the Warriors’ offense due to the fact that the two forwards make Golden State faster and more athletic. So far, that pairing hasn’t had much success.
In 106 minutes together on the floor this year, the duo has a minus-21.4 net rating, the worst on the team (of lineups that play often) by a large margin. They also have the worst defensive rating and rebound percentage among those lineups.
“It’s something we will try with maybe some new people around them,” head coach Steve Kerr said. “Their numbers are not good together, frankly. They’re very redundant. So the tape and the numbers haven’t been great.”
While this lineup wrinkle is just one question for a roster full of them, it has major implications. If the pair doesn’t figure things out, Kawakami writes the Warriors will likely have to choose between them, especially with Kuminga due for an extension on the horizon. If they do end up working well together, however, it could phase out minutes for Golden State’s other veteran pieces.
Kawakami also writes that while the Warriors previously may have been reluctant to move Wiggins in a trade after he signed a bargain contract specifically to stay with the team, he hears that may no longer be the case.
We have more from around the Pacific Division:
- The Warriors are keeping quiet on the timetable for Draymond Green‘s return from his indefinite suspension, writes Jon Schultz of the San Francisco Chronicle. “The Draymond stuff, everything is just private,” Kerr said. “That’s behind the scenes and I really don’t have anything to comment on that front.“
- The Lakers switched up their starting lineup on Saturday, replacing D’Angelo Russell with Jarred Vanderbilt in an effort to augment the defense. However, that hasn’t worked out just yet, with the new starting lineup posting a 125.0 defensive rating in their 18 minutes together, The Orange County Register’s Khobi Price writes. “We’ve just gotta buckle down defensively,” Anthony Davis said. “We’re not really a switching team but now we’re getting to it because of our lineup. We’re able to do that. Miscommunication is kind of there. Offensively, we can be fine. But we have to do a better job on defense.“
- The Clippers acquired Daniel Theis to help address their frontcourt when Mason Plumlee went down with an MCL sprain in November. As Plumlee approaches his return to play, the Clippers haven’t yet determined how they’ll balance Theis and Plumlee when both are healthy, tweets Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times.