Heat Notes: Adebayo, Herro, Jovic, Hampton, More
Time is no longer on Heat center Bam Adebayo‘s side when it comes to potentially earning a super-max contract extension after the season, writes The South Florida Sun Sentinel’s Ira Winderman.
In order to be eligible for a super-max deal worth 35% of the cap, Adebayo has to either earn a spot on the All-NBA team or be named the league’s MVP or Defensive Player of the Year. And in order to be eligible for any of those honors, he must play in at least 65 games as a result of changes made in the latest Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Adebayo has already missed nine games this season, including six in a row. That means he can only miss up to eight more before he’s deemed ineligible for those awards. Adebayo is nearing a return to the court and is expected back sometime in December, per the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson, but another injury or two in the coming months could cost him a shot at super-max eligibility in 2024.
Adebayo is in the middle of a strong season, averaging 22.3 points and 9.9 rebounds for the 14-11 Heat. If he’s able to stay healthy, he should be a candidate for both an All-NBA nod and for the Defensive Player of the Year award. He’s finished in the top five in voting in the latter in each of the past four seasons.
We have more from the Heat:
- Adebayo isn’t the only key player the Heat are expecting back soon. We recently wrote Tyler Herro is expected back soon and Jackson says he’s targeting a Dec. 18 return. Herro hasn’t played since Nov. 8. R.J. Hampton also recently returned for the Heat, logging roughly nine minutes against the Bulls on Thursday in his first action since Oct. 28.
- In the second of a three-part series, Jackson explores potential trades the Heat could make with Western Conference teams. However, there aren’t many options that are either easy or make much sense. Jackson mentions Lauri Markkanen‘s supposed availability, but writes the Jazz would rightly want a huge return and any other trade with Utah could limit the team’s availability to re-sign Caleb Martin. Other teams exploring trades, like the Spurs and the Warriors, don’t have many packages that make sense for Miami either.
- Center Thomas Bryant and two-way player Jamal Cain have both seen their roles fluctuate with the Heat this season, observes the Miami Herald’s Anthony Chiang. Bryant opened the year as Adebayo’s primary backup, but fell out of the rotation and remained that way even with Adebayo out. Meanwhile, Cain had a strong summer and sought a standard deal but ultimately ended back up on a two-way deal that limits him to 50 regular season games. However, both players are continuing to stay ready for any opportunity, which coach Erik Spoelstra commented was “never easy.” Bryant has responded by scoring 17 points and 11 rebounds in about 27 minutes over his last two appearances. Cain meanwhile, scored 14 points in just under 29 minutes against the Hornets on Wednesday.
Knicks Notes: Brunson, Quickley, Gibson, Randle
Knicks guard Jalen Brunson‘s three-point shot is the key to New York’s ability to win games, writes the New York Post’s Stefan Bondy. Overall, Brunson is shooting a career-best 46.0% on 6.8 attempts per night from beyond the arc. When the Knicks win, Brunson shoots 57.4% from deep, but when they lose, he shoots just 27.4%.
Bondy breaks down what Brunson’s threes have looked like this season in victories and defeats. Generally, entering Thursday, Brunson was getting more open looks in wins than in losses, including 37% of his threes in wins being “wide open” (compared to 32% in losses).
Like clockwork, Brunson had a historic night from downtown in a 17-point victory against the Suns on Friday. Brunson scored a career-high 50 points in the win, 35 of which came in the second half, where he shot 12-for-12 from the floor and 8-for-8 from three-point range in the period.
Brunson’s overall 9-for-9 performance from three tied the NBA record for the most three-point attempts in a game without a miss (Twitter link via The Athletic’s Fred Katz). Latrell Sprewell did it for the Knicks in 2003.
We have more from the Knicks:
- Immanuel Quickley returned from a brief injury absence on Dec. 13, playing just 18 minutes against Utah as Tom Thibodeau continues to navigate his guard rotation. He wasn’t concerned about the lack of minutes, writes Bondy. “Just whatever minutes you get, go out there and be effective,” Quickley said. “Whatever minutes I get — whether 15, 20, 25. I played 55 [in an overtime game] last season. Whatever minutes I get, go out there and help the team win.“
- The Knicks are happy to have veteran big man Taj Gibson back in the fold after signing him on Friday. Gibson, 38, spent three seasons with the Knicks before joining the Wizards last year. With Mitchell Robinson sidelined due to injury, it made sense for Gibson to come back, writes Newsday’s Steve Popper. Gibson also spoke about his future upon arriving with the Knicks. “I’m still considering [coaching],” Gibson said. “But it has to be the right situation. I want to be somewhere where I can learn, brighten my future. This is a bright spot for me, being around the coaching staff who I can learn from. Just top to bottom, this is just family for me.“
- After a sluggish start to the season that saw him shoot just 31.6% from the field and average 16.5 points per game, Julius Randle has improved his efficiency and turned his season around, writes Bondy in a separate story. Randle’s stated goal before the season was to become a more efficient player, which didn’t seem likely after his start to the year, but he’s shooting 60.0% from the floor and 41.2% from three over the last eight games while averaging 28.0 PPG. “Just playing to my strengths and understanding spots on the court where I can get high-percentage shots where I can either get a high-percentage shot or they double me and I can kick out and play-make for my teammates,” Randle said. “So I understand who I am as a player. While I can shoot the ball and make a ton of 3s, I understand who I am as a player, what my strengths are.“
Latest On Draymond Green
There’s an “expectation” that Draymond Green will not take the floor again for the Warriors until at least early 2024, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said on Friday during an appearance on NBA Countdown (YouTube link). While there isn’t a definitive timeline, if Green would miss at least nine games if he doesn’t play until 2024. He was suspended by the league indefinitely after striking Suns center Jusuf Nurkic in the face during a Dec. 12 matchup.
Green missed five games earlier this season due to a suspension following an on-court incident with Rudy Gobert. Wojnarowski thinks that Green’s current absence could be approximately double the amount of games he received for the Gobert altercation.
The Warriors are currently on a three-game losing streak and have dropped 12 of their last 16. Because of their lackluster start to the season and the loss of Green, it’s possible Golden State looks to make additions via trade. Wojnarowski said a handful of decision-makers have already called Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. in the past few days. While it’s unclear what Golden State’s exact plans are, Wojnarowksi points out that the team is likely to be open to moves as they continue to try and piece together a championship-caliber team around Stephen Curry.
Wojnarowski envisions “difficult decisions” for Dunleavy and the Warriors as they approach the deadline, with several veterans not producing to their standards.
Green is averaging 9.7 points, 5.8 assists and 5.5 rebounds in 15 games this season. The Warriors are 10-14 and currently sit at 11th in the Western Conference.
We have more on Green:
- Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said the NBA’s indefinite suspension of Green “makes sense,” according to The Athletic’s Anthony Slater, and that it gives Green an opportunity to reflect and change his approach. “This is about someone I believe in, someone I’ve known for a decade, someone who I love for his loyalty, his commitment, his passion, his love for his teammates, friends, his family. Trying to help that guy,” Kerr said. “Because the one who grabbed Rudy, choked Rudy, the one who took a wild flail at Jusuf, the one who punched Jordan [Poole] last year, that’s the guy who has to change and he knows that.“
- The Warriors made it clear they’re still supporting Green in the wake of the suspension. Sportsnaut’s Mark Medina explores why, writing that he believes it’s easier for the Warriors to strengthen an existing, if awkward, relationship as opposed to ending it early. Medina writes that Green is still playing at a high level and the franchise needs to make sure they’re helping him deal with whatever he’s going through, though Green needs to do better. “Championships are at stake in terms of us being a contender, a realistic contender or even just us being a good team,” Curry said. “He’s a part of that.“
- For his part, Green has accepted this suspension and apologized to Nurkic after the altercation. It isn’t the first time this season Green’s had to reflect on an on-court incident, and according to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, Green spoke to Curry following the incident with Gobert. According to Shelburne, Green said he lost his sense of time and place in that fight. “When I watched it back, I said, ‘Damn, I held [Gobert] much longer than I realized in that moment,’” Green said. “But the reality is, in those moments, you don’t know what time is. You don’t have a sense of time.“
Kings Sign Juan Toscano-Anderson
DECEMBER 15: The Kings have officially signed Toscano-Anderson, tweets Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. His contract is non-guaranteed, per James Ham of The Kings Beat (Twitter link).
DECEMBER 14: The Kings are signing Juan Toscano-Anderson to a one-year deal, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Toscano-Anderson, 30, had stints with the Warriors, Lakers and Jazz and will now fill Sacramento’s final open roster spot after impressing with the G League’s Mexico City Capitanes.
In 11 Showcase Cup games with the Capitanes, Toscano-Anderson averaged 19.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.0 blocks. He holds career averages of 4.3 PPG, 3.1 RPG and 1.9 APG in 191 career NBA appearances (37 starts).
Toscano-Anderson worked out with the Warriors this offseason, but ultimately didn’t come away with a deal of any sort. However, Andscape’s Marc J. Spears tweets Kings head coach Mike Brown had strong interest in bringing Toscano-Anderson to training camp this offseason, though that never materialized.
As The Sacramento Bee’s Jason Anderson notes (Twitter link), Brown and Toscano-Anderson have familiarity with each other. Toscano-Anderson played for the Warriors for three seasons while Brown was lead assistant, and the duo won a championship together in 2021/22.
The Kings opened up a spot on their 15-man roster last month when they waived Filip Petrusev, who they acquired for cash after he was sent to the Clippers in the James Harden blockbuster. After surveying its options, Sacramento landed on signing Toscano-Anderson.
Anderson notes in a piece detailing the move that the Kings needed to address their wing depth after experiencing matchup difficulties in recent losses to the Pelicans and Clippers, and signing the Marquette product should help with those issues.
It’s unclear how much playing time Toscano-Anderson will receive right away but its possible the veteran could make an immediate impact on the rotation. Players like Keon Ellis, Jalen Slawson, Colby Jones and Kessler Edwards make up Sacramento’s forward and wing depth on the deep bench.
Pacific Notes: Clippers, George, Vincent, Nurkic, Green, Durant
After trading for James Harden, the Clippers went through a rough patch while adjusting to incorporating another ball-dominant player. Star wing Paul George said that it’s a growing pain plenty of teams with several All-Stars have historically experienced.
“They all went through some sort of adversity, regardless of the talent,” George said. “It’s going to take some time because you got to find how to be yourself when your usage rate isn’t going to be as high as it used to be [or] the possessions you were going to have.”
Now, Los Angeles has flipped its fortunes. The team holds the NBA’s longest active win streak (five games entering Thursday) and has won 10 of its last 13. Janis Carr of The Orange County Register says the Clippers are finding the “new you” in themselves by re-imagining their games and playing freely.
“I mean that’s it. Just all of us just combining into the defensive end and just wanting to get things going on that end first and then letting, whatever the offense, take care of itself since we got so many scorers,” said star forward Kawhi Leonard.
Harden made headlines earlier in the season, saying that he didn’t feel like the Sixers let him play like himself, a problem he isn’t having in coach Tyronn Lue‘s system.
“[Lue] allows me to just be free, be who I am and, like I said previously, that’s not just scoring, but just me reading defenses, seeing the different game and putting Kawhi and PG in better positions or in the pick-and-roll with [Ivica Zubac] getting easy layups or [Daniel Theis] getting easy layups,” Harden said. “It is everything that I thought it would be. It’s taken a little time, but as far as me playing and the chemistry on the court … it’s getting where it needs to be.”
We have more from the Pacific Division:
- George sat out the second half of the Clippers‘ Tuesday win over the Kings with a sore left groin. According to ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk, Lue said George could have come back in and played if needed. However, he was ruled out before L.A’s Thursday game against the Warriors with hip soreness (Twitter link via Los Angeles Times’ Andrew Greif). He’s considered day-to-day, according to Youngmisuk.
- Lakers guard Gabe Vincent is ramping up during the team’s three-game road trip, with coach Darvin Ham saying “everything is going according to plan,” The Orange County Register’s Khobi Price writes. Vincent hasn’t played since Oct. 30 due to a left knee effusion. The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported Monday that Vincent was targeting a Dec. 18 return to play. He’s averaging 6.0 points and 3.0 assists this season.
- Even after taking a hit to the face from Warriors forward Draymond Green that led to Green being suspended indefinitely, Suns center Jusuf Nurkic still holds the four-time All-Star in a high regard, according to Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic. “I have a lot of respect for him, obviously, even before this,” Nurkic said Wednesday. “I still have it. I don’t know what people go through. It’s not our problem, but he’s an NBA champion for me, Hall of Famer still.“
- Suns star forward Kevin Durant also reacted to the altercation on Wednesday, expressing well wishes to Green. “I hope he gets the help he needs,” Durant said (Twitter link via Rankin). Durant and Green played on the Warriors from 2016-19, winning two championships together. “[The altercation] was insane to see,” Durant said. “Glad Nurk is alright. Never seen that on the basketball court in an NBA game.“
Warriors Bench Andrew Wiggins
The Warriors will have Andrew Wiggins come off the bench in their Thursday matchup against the Clippers, tweets The Athletic’s Shams Charania. Rookie forward Brandin Podziemski is taking over Wiggins’ spot in the starting five, with Jonathan Kuminga also starting in place of the suspended Draymond Green.
It’s unclear whether Wiggins’ move to the bench is temporary or if this is a longer-term move, but Charania’s wording makes it sound like the latter.
The Warriors entered Thursday at 10-13, 11th in the conference. It’s a disappointing start for a team with big aspirations, and it’s the culmination of suspensions, injuries and players – like Wiggins – having down seasons.
Wiggins is averaging 12.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, 0.3 steals and 0.3 blocks this season while shooting just 41.3% from the field and 27.9% from beyond the arc. These are substantial drop-offs for the former No. 1 overall pick, who averaged 17.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 0.8 blocks last season on .473/.396/.611 shooting.
As The Athletic’s Anthony Slater observes (Twitter link), Thursday’s game marks Wiggins’ first career regular season game off the bench. He had previously started all 656 of his NBA appearances. His only career game as a reserve came in the postseason when he was returning from a prolonged absence last year.
Wiggins and Klay Thompson are both off to slow starts, contributing to Golden State’s lackluster season thus far. If the Warriors continue to disappoint, it’s possible another rotation switch involving Thompson, who is averaging his lowest scoring output since his rookie season, is on the horizon.
In Wiggins’ place, the Warriors are starting promising rookie Podziemski, who is averaging 8.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists this season. He’s shooting a scorching 44.2% from deep and is continuing to earn a bigger role with the organization, averaging 12.0 points and 7.2 rebounds over his past five games.
As of now, Golden State is starting Stephen Curry, Thompson, Podziemski, Kuminga and Kevon Looney, with Wiggins, Chris Paul, Moses Moody and Dario Saric among the top options off the bench.
Hornets Sign Nathan Mensah To Two-Way Contract, Waive Theo Maledon
8:45pm: The Hornets officially announced the signing of Mensah to a two-way contract in a press release.
5:38pm: The Hornets are planning to sign center Nathan Mensah to a two-way contract, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
Mensah has been playing with Charlotte’s G League affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm, this season after spending training camp with the Hornets this summer on an Exhibit 10 contract. Mensah is averaging 10.3 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.1 blocks and 0.8 steals in 14 Showcase Cup games with the Swarm this season.
Mensah, 25, played five seasons for San Diego State, where he averaged 6.6 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.6 blocks across 146 appearances with his collegiate team. In 2022/23, Mensah helped the Aztecs to an appearance in the NCAA national championship, where they ultimately fell to UConn.
To open up the two-way roster spot necessary for Mensah, the Hornets announced they officially waived guard Theo Maledon.
It’s a little surprising to see the Hornets part with Maledon, considering he’s made 57 appearances and eight starts over the past two years with the team in 18.5 minutes per night. However, he’s gotten off to a slow start to the season, shooting just 28.8% from the field. In two years with the Hornets, Maledon averaged 6.1 points and 3.2 assists after spending the first two seasons of his career with the Thunder.
With Mensah set to be signed, the Hornets will be back up to the limit of 18 players on the roster. Charlotte has 15 players on standard deals and, after Mensah’s signing is made official, will have him, Leaky Black and Amari Bailey on two-way deals.
Atlantic Notes: Siakam, Morris, Hartenstein, Quickley
Raptors forward Pascal Siakam has been subject to trade rumors for roughly a year while his team is middling, even though he has expressed his desire to stay in Toronto multiple times, according to Sportsnet.ca’s Michael Grange. Siakam says he isn’t letting the persistent rumors get to him.
“I don’t worry about that. I just live my life and try to be the best I can be every day,” Siakam said. “I don’t think about it. It’s not part of what I do. I control what I can control. I’ve always understood that, and I’m getting better at it and I’m actually really good at it now.”
Siakam is earning $37.9MM in the final season of a four-year, $136.9MM deal. Even without a long-term contract, Siakam deserves credit for keeping the 10-14 Raptors competitive, Grange writes. He’s averaging 21.2 points and 6.8 rebounds per game this season.
“The way I look at it, and that’s been in my life period, it’s never been easy,” Siakam said. “Hey, you got to fight. There’s going to be times where it’s hard out there … it feels like a boxing match where you get knocked down and everything. You can’t see nothing. You’re looking for your mouthpiece, trying to find anything on the floor. And the ref is counting, blood coming out of your mouth. And the thing about it is it’s going to happen more than once.
“So that’s a challenge. It is going to be hard. We just have to be able to overcome it. At the end of the day, like I said, we can talk about x’s and o’s and this and that. We’ve just got to be able to buckle up and go out there and do it.”
According to Grange, there is a “fairly robust” market for Siakam, though it may not be for the return Raptors president Masai Ujiri would want in such a deal. Despite the noise of a potential trade, Grange says there is a chance Siakam stays put and signs an extension with Toronto.
That means there could be a win-win situation for Siakam and the Raptors in which Toronto signs the All-Star forward to an extension in the next month or so, Grange writes. In that scenario, Siakam would be ineligible to be moved for six months and the Raptors could then explore the market again in the summer and become a major offseason player.
On the other hand, if the Raptors don’t see themselves signing Siakam to an extension soon, it would make sense to move him now, Grange notes.
We have more from the Atlantic Division:
- After a slow start with the Sixers, Marcus Morris is emerging as a trusted part of Philadelphia’s rotation, writes The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Keith Pompey (subscriber link). Morris is averaging 8.3 points and 3.8 rebounds over his past nine games compared to 1.1 points and 1.0 rebounds in his first seven appearances with Philly. Still, given his large expiring contract, it’s possible Morris is moved ahead of the trade deadline as the Sixers continue to shape their contending roster, a fact he’s aware of. “I understand the business part,” Morris said. “I know we [are] actively in trade [inquiries].“
- After losing Mitchell Robinson to injury for eight-to-10 weeks, the Knicks will continue to turn to Isaiah Hartenstein to help fill the void, writes the New York Post’s Zach Braziller. Jericho Sims has started in Robinson’s place, but Hartenstein has ultimately finished with more minutes and closed games, a strategy coach Tom Thibodeau employed last season when Robinson missed time. “I’ve always been ready for this opportunity. I think I’ve shown I can be in this role,” Hartenstein said. “At the end of the day, we are going to miss Mitch a lot. But I’m ready — I’m ready for whatever [Thibodeau] has in mind for me. … Last season, half of the games I would finish games. I’m used to this role, so I’m excited for it.“
- It might make sense for the Knicks to explore trading guard Immanuel Quickley, writes the New York Post’s Stefan Bondy (subscriber link), who speculates the offseason Donte DiVincenzo signing, along with the lack of a preseason extension for Quickley, could signal a potential trade. With such a guard-heavy roster, the Knicks could look to move Quickley before he hits restricted free agency in July and get some value for him, Bondy reasons.
Warriors GM Dunleavy Talks Green, Roster Decisions
Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. emphasized the franchise is still committed to forward Draymond Green following his indefinite suspension during a media availability on Thursday, reports ESPN’s Kendra Andrews.
According to Andrews, Dunleavy said Golden State is truly treating this as an indefinite absence and that the end goal is for Green to get to a point where he can be with the team long term, which echoes reporting from Wednesday. However, Dunleavy doesn’t know for sure that these measures will change Green’s behavior in the long run, per Andrews.
“I can’t guarantee you that,” Dunleavy said. “I can just say we will continue to do the right things to help him. I think we’ve done a decent job at that in the past and we’ll continue to work through it all. There are a lot of parties involved. The biggest thing here to me is not the punishment, it’s helping and giving assistance.”
The Warriors continue to emphasize to Green that they’re a better team with him on the court than off it and are telling him he has to do whatever he can to stay on the floor. As Andrews points out, Green has missed eight games from a combination of suspension, injuries and personal reasons this year, along with having been ejected from three more.
There is some level of concern that Green might not be able to stay on the floor when he returns, according to Andrews, with continued harsher punishment being plausible for further incidents.
“His ability this year has been great, his availability has not,” Dunleavy said. “… That’s part of the dance we got to walk and part of things we need to address. He’s got to be aware of it. Hopefully, we can get him to a point where he’s still the same high-energy, competitive guy. And if situations arise, he’s got to find a way to regulate that.”
The Warriors are disappointed in Green’s failure to regulate his actions on the court, according to Andrews. ESPN sources said Golden State lost leverage in holding Green accountable when they didn’t do so after he punched former teammate Jordan Poole last year. At some point, there could be a shift in how the Warriors handle Green, especially if the bad outweighs the good he does on the court, per Andrews.
Still, at 10-13, the Warriors and Dunleavy are hoping this ends up differently.
“I think this is something a lot of people see as a problem, but we’re looking to turn it into a positive,” Dunleavy said. “He’s at a point in his career and his life where you want to get some things straightened out. Maybe you need a jolt like that. I think it’s been very positive, very open and I’m extremely optimistic we can get where we need to go.”
There’s more from Dunleavy’s media session:
- Dunleavy said Green will remain with the team throughout his suspension, but he won’t be there every day and he wasn’t in attendance for the team’s Thursday shootaround in Los Angeles, tweets Sportskeeda’s Mark Medina. According to Medina, he’ll be able to practice with the team but obviously won’t be able to play in games or be at the arena during the suspension. “We think the healthiest thing is for him to be around,” Dunleavy said. “It may not be every day but we are not jettisoning the guy off somewhere.“
- Dunleavy said the next 15-20 games will be critical in determining whether or not the team will explore trades at the deadline, tweets The Athletic’s Anthony Slater. The Warriors would rather build a larger sample size before seeing what needs to be done.
- With several players becoming trade eligible on Dec. 15, Dunleavy was asked about potential trades. “The question as to whether we’ll be aggressive, I think you have to be open to see things and look at everything,” Dunleavy said (Twitter link via Medina). “If something makes sense, you do it. But I would never do something just to do something. I’ve had a pretty good track record recently of making positive deals where we’ve been able to look out for our long-term salary spending and acquire good players. We’ll continue to do that.“
- Echoing similar reports from Wednesday, Dunleavy said he and Green’s camp worked together with the NBA to come up with the indefinite suspension (Twitter link via Andrews). “We understand there’s a punishment that will take place but this is also about helping somebody,” Dunleavy said. “They 100% agreed. So did Draymond.“
- Appearing on ESPN’s First Take (Twitter link), NBA Executive Vice President Joe Dumars said the point of the indefinite suspension was to look beyond a specific number and instead to help Green. “We want to see you at your best and the best way for you to do that is to get yourself mentally and emotionally back to where you need to be,” Dumars said. “That’s how we got to indefinite.“
Southwest Notes: Murphy, Williamson, Brooks, Tillman
Pelicans wing Trey Murphy tore the meniscus in his left knee in September, missing the first 19 games of New Orleans’ season. The injury was a major setback for a player who had increased his scoring average from 5.4 points per game in 2021/22 to 14.5 last season, establishing himself as one of the Pelicans’ key rotation pieces.
Murphy made his 2023 season debut on Friday, immediately picking back up where he left off. He scored 18 points in his return and helped the Pels to a 15-point victory over the Spurs.
“He’s been a big part of our success the last two seasons,” coach Willie Green said, per Christian Clark of NOLA.com. “We all were rallying for him to get on the floor and get back. It was like he didn’t miss a beat. Now it’s about building that chemistry with everyone on the team.”
The Pelicans, who have dealt with a litany of injuries over the past few seasons, are getting healthier and healthier. The only rotation player currently dealing with a long-term injury is Larry Nance Jr., who is out four-to-six weeks, a far cry from what the injury report has looked like in season’s past.
We have more from the Southwest Division:
- Pelicans star forward Zion Williamson is expected to play in the team’s Saturday matchup against the Bulls, according to Green (Twitter link via ESPN’s Andrew Lopez). Lopez notes that this would be the first back-to-back Williamson has played this season. The two-time All-Star is averaging 23.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 5.0 assists this season.
- The Rockets entered Friday tied for the fourth-best defense in the league, in large part to wing Dillon Brooks‘ contributions on the floor, according to The Athletic’s Kelly Iko. Iko breaks down Brooks’ unique approach to defense, including the fact that he guards players in an unconventional way — by clapping in their face. “I feel like everyone in the league knows I slap people’s hands on jump shots after the ball’s released,” Brooks told The Athletic. “So it puts a thought in their mind that when I close out, you’re not getting a free shot. When they work out, they’re so used to following through. But when I close out, I like to mix in different things like that.“
- Grizzlies center Xavier Tillman played in Memphis’ Friday matchup with the Mavericks (Twitter link via team), playing 21 minutes and helping the Grizzlies to a 14-point win. Tillman had appeared in just one game since Nov. 3, so his return to the lineup is welcome for a Memphis team that won back-to-back games for the first time this season.