Central Notes: Mitchell, Slumping Cavs, Cunningham, Lillard
Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell is owning responsibility for Cleveland’s current losing streak, which extended to four games on Friday in Phoenix, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com writes (subscription required).
“Put this on me,” Mitchell said. “When your leader ain’t doing [expletive], this is what happens. If I’m not being who I need to be then we’re not going to get to where we want to get to. So, until that happens — and it will — yeah, if you’re looking for where to point, it’s right here.”
Since the beginning of March, Mitchell is shooting 32.9% from the field and 17.9% on three-pointers, compared to 44.1% and 37.0% on the season, Fedor adds. In their four straight losses, he’s down to 18.5 PPG on 29.6% shooting.
- The Cavaliers‘ Friday loss represents their lowest point of the season, Fedor writes in another story (subscription required). Cleveland has given up at least 120 points three times in its last four losses and ranks in the bottom half of the league defensively this month. Meanwhile, the scorching-hot offense that overshadowed any defensive shortcomings earlier in the year has faltered as of late. Of course, the Cavaliers still hold a five-game lead over the second-place Celtics in the East, but they’ll want to right the ship in the coming weeks to regain some momentum entering the postseason.
- Wednesday’s performance against the Heat was the pinnacle of Pistons star Cade Cunningham‘s young career, Hunter Patterson of The Athletic opines. Cunningham recorded team highs in points (25), rebounds (12) and assists (11) as he notched a triple-double and knocked down his first career game-winning three-pointer. The former No. 1 overall pick felt the game was a culmination of everything he has been through, including the 28 straight losses the Pistons endured last season and the injury that limited him to 12 games in his sophomore season. “It’s still early though, I feel like,” Cunningham said. “I still feel like there’s so much to do. There’s still so much that I haven’t experienced.“
- Bucks star Damian Lillard missed Thursday’s game against the Lakers due to calf soreness, per NBA insider Chris Haynes, and he’ll also miss Saturday’s tilt in Sacramento, according to Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee (Twitter links). It’s the first time since late December that Lillard had to miss consecutive games. He’s averaging 24.9 points and 7.1 assists per game in his age-34 season. Guard Ryan Rollins drew the start on Thursday in Lillard’s absence.
Central Notes: Cunningham, Duren, Pistons, White, Allen, Mobley
The Pistons and Cade Cunningham got a chance to show their stuff Wednesday on a national-televised game against the Heat and they took advantage of it. Cunningham hit a game-winning three-pointer in the final second as the Pistons improved their record to 39-31, giving them 25 more wins than all of last season.
Cunningham, a first-time All-Star, deserves to be on an All-NBA team, in the opinion of center Jalen Duren, as Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press tweets.
“We’re still trying to make a case for that? Man. If you don’t know that by now, not only are you not watching us, you’re not watching basketball,” Duren said. “He’s been the best guard in the NBA all year, if you ask me. Watch the games, man.”
An All-NBA selection would be a financial boon for Cunningham. He signed a five-year max rookie scale extension in July, which goes into effect in 2025/26. Making an All-NBA team would push the first year of that extension to 30 percent of the cap, rather than 25 percent.
We have more from the Central Division:
- An underrated reason for the Pistons’ success is that they’ve answered the bell, Sankofa notes. Other than Jaden Ivey, who suffered a broken fibula on Jan. 1, the rotation members have remained healthy and available for the most part. Cunningham, who battled injuries in his previous seasons, is on pace to play 70 games. Rookie Ron Holland and sixth man Malik Beasley have appeared in every game. “That’s been huge towards our consistency as a group, having pretty much the same starting five most games this year,” Cunningham said. “Same rotation, guys are able to play every night. It’s a huge thing. I know it helps coach a lot. It’s huge for our synergy, knowing where everybody is going to be at, keeping the same consistency as far as groups on the floor and things like that. Health is the main thing. ‘The best ability is availability’ is what they always say.”
- Bulls guard Coby White, the reigning Eastern Conference Player of the Week, told the Chicago Tribune’s Julia Poe that his struggles early in his career are now paying dividends. “I wasn’t very good when I came into the league,” he said. “I had a lot to learn. It was all about humbling myself to the point where I looked in the mirror and said, ‘I have to get better. I have to get stronger. I have to be more physical. I have to figure out who I am as a player.'” He’s averaging 24.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.2 assists since the All-Star break.
- Prior to this season, there was serious doubt whether the pairing of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen could work. Those concerns have been eased by the Cavaliers’ success. Allen explained to Sportskeeda’s Mark Medina have they’ve learn to be effective for long stretches. “Evan is really benefiting from this offense. You can see his numbers and his confidence. We can all see it,” Allen said. “He’s leading our team. It makes it easier. We have our separate roles now. He’s on the outside, shooting threes, running the offense and pushing it. And I’m in the dunker (spot) doing what I’m used to.”
Suns Notes: Durant, Budenholzer, Plumlee, Booker
Kevin Durant‘s relationship with Suns coach Mike Budenholzer has been an ongoing storyline for several weeks, and Durant offered some insight after this morning’s shootaround, writes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. The topic arose again after Durant snapped at Budenholzer during a timeout in Sunday’s game at Los Angeles (Twitter video link).
“I don’t say, ‘Coach, we’ve got to do this.’ It’s his team,” Durant told reporters. “I’m there to be of assistance. If he needs me to do anything. If I got some suggestions on what may happen, I’m asking him. I’m not telling him what to do. I’m asking him, ‘Yo, Coach, what you think, we should do this right here?’ If he doesn’t think so, all right, then I’ll move on.”
A potential rift between Durant and Budenholzer has been one of the subplots of a disappointing season in Phoenix. Budenholzer is in his first season with the team after replacing Frank Vogel last summer, and Sunday’s incident was the latest evidence of possible tension behind the scenes. In a March 4 game, Durant was seen slapping away Budenholzer’s hand while returning to the huddle.
However, Durant has been supportive of his coach in his public comments, and he believes his long career gives him the right to offer input when he thinks it’s appropriate.
“I’ve never been that guy telling somebody what to do,” Durant said, “but I’ve been in the league for a long time and if I see something, Coach gives me the leeway to come to him if I see something out there that may be different. I think everyone on the team has that type of confidence to go to Coach with that stuff. I’m not telling him what he needs to do. I’m listening and giving suggestions and if it helps, it helps. If he doesn’t take it, then you move on to the next thing.”
There’s more from Phoenix:
- After losing to the Lakers on Sunday, the Suns responded with one of their best games of the season the next night in a 40-point win over Toronto. In a separate story, Rankin notes that injuries to Bradley Beal and Grayson Allen created more playing time for newcomer Cody Martin and rookies Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro, who provide a better defensive foundation. “(Martin) does a little bit of everything,” Devin Booker said. “But most importantly, he’s been vocal even in the times that he hasn’t been in the game, and just seeing things that he sees out there, and it translates. And you know, it was a big part of what we did today.”
- Backup center Mason Plumlee will miss tonight’s game against Chicago with a left quad strain. Budenholzer isn’t sure when it happened, saying it might be “a little bit of a cumulative effect,” tweets Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports. Budenholzer adds that the team will monitor Plumlee for the next 24 to 48 hours in hopes that it’s not more serious.
- Owner Mat Ishbia stated last week that trading Booker this summer would be “silly,” but Mark Deeks of HoopsHype lists four potential landing spots for Booker in the event that the Suns change their minds. Deeks views the Pistons, Thunder, Rockets and Knicks as the best options.
Trajan Langdon Explains Remarkable Turnaround In Detroit
Trajan Langdon pursued executive positions with two other teams over the past two years, but the Pistons are happy he was still available when they went looking for a new head of basketball operations last spring, writes Marc J. Spears of Andscape. Langdon has overseen an incredible transformation as Detroit has emerged from a 14-win season to boast a 38-31 record entering tonight’s game.
Langdon was in contention for jobs with Washington in 2023 and Charlotte in 2024 before the opportunity with the Pistons came along. He admits being somewhat cautious about joining an organization that was at the bottom of the league, but he was intrigued by the collection of young talent already in place. Langdon also had a few connections with the franchise, as vice chairman Arn Tellem was his former agent and advisor Billy King was a fellow Duke alumnus.
“After listening to Arn, Billy King, and then most importantly to (owner Tom Gores), I thought what they were lacking is what I could provide in terms of just setting a foundation, building a culture,” Langdon said. “I felt that’s what they felt was important. And that’s what I can provide originally or from the start. And then we started talking more and had a lot of conversations with Tom and just felt that it would be a good fit.”
Langdon’s first priority was finding a new coach after the team opted to fire Monty Williams last June. After considering Mavericks assistant Sean Sweeney, Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori and Pelicans assistant James Borrego, Langdon opted for J.B. Bickerstaff, who had recently been let go by the Cavaliers.
Bickerstaff told Spears that having Langdon in place influenced his decision to seek the position in Detroit.
“I don’t know if even Trajan knows this, but he was a major part of the selling point for the job,” Bickerstaff said. “His personality. His character. His thought process and logic. The plan that he had in place about where we wanted to go and how he wanted to get there. That was the most important thing to me. And then his want to have a genuine relationship with me beyond basketball and be a true partner in building this thing. Obviously, we have our respective jobs, but it’s a collaboration of thought that goes into all of his plans. And he respects my thoughts and is interested in using my thoughts as he builds it with the decisions that he makes.”
Langdon was aggressive in remaking the roster, acquiring Tim Hardaway Jr. in a trade with Dallas and signing Malik Beasley and Tobias Harris in free agency. He also gambled on G League Ignite forward Ron Holland with the fifth pick in the draft, adding a player with raw skills but extreme athleticism and competitiveness.
This season began like a carryover of the last one as the Pistons started 0-4 and were booed by their home crowd. Langdon and Bickerstaff remained optimistic about what they had built, and eventually the results started showing on the court. The team is currently on pace for a 32-win improvement, which would be the largest in franchise history.
Cade Cunningham has blossomed into one of the NBA’s best guards and made his first All-Star appearance this year. Dennis Schröder and Lindy Waters were picked up at the trade deadline to add depth to the backcourt. Even the absence of Jaden Ivey, who was lost for the season with a broken leg on New Year’s Day, hasn’t slowed down the Pistons.
“We talk a lot about the character of this team that we wanted to put together,” Langdon said. “We have a lot of high character human beings and we wanted to get that grit back. And obviously, the positivity, the passion, the desire to come out and compete and win. It’s a historic franchise that at times has been dominant in this league. And so, to get it back and give the fans what they’ve seen, and to give these players what they want, would be super-meaningful to this franchise right now and also going forward.”
Central Notes: Fontecchio, Toppin, Buzelis, Williams
Simone Fontecchio was re-signed by the Pistons on a two-year, $16MM contract last summer. The forward’s shooting numbers are down this season but coach J.B. Bickerstaff has stuck with him on the second unit. Fontecchio delivered his best performance of the season in Detroit’s 46-point thumping of New Orleans on Monday, with 23 points and seven rebounds.
“We trust these guys and we don’t live game by game, we give guys an opportunity to build a track record,” Bickerstaff told Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press. “We give guys an opportunity to play with freedom and confidence. And we know Simo’s capable of knocking down shots. It never wavered from our end. We know we’re going to need all of them and I thought (Monday) was a great night for him, to go 9-of-10 from the field and 5-of-5 from three. It was great to see it.”
Fontecchio is appreciative that Bickerstaff has continued to rely on him.
“It’s important,” Fontecchio said. “They know I can shoot it in many ways, being a team player and locker room player, grabbing rebounds, playing defense and making the right play on offense.”
We have more from the Central Division:
- The Pacers got a monster game out of Obi Toppin on Monday. He scored 34 points and hit four overtime three-pointers in their victory over Minnesota. Toppin was signed to a four-year, $58MM contract last offseason to remain in an Indiana uniform. It was strong all-around effort from the Pacers unheralded players, Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star notes. The team was missing four of its top five scorers and had to use a handful of players on two-way and 10-day deals, but still had eight players score in double figures.
- Matas Buzelis made his 17th straight start for the Bulls in their 111-97 road win over the Jazz on Monday, scoring 17 points on 7-for-13 shooting. He also had nine rebounds, two assists and one blocked shot in 30 minutes. The rookie forward is averaging 12.1 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 26.4 minutes per game as a starter. “With Matas, I think he’s got huge upside. I felt like Lauri (Markkanen) had huge upside even though he’s gone to Cleveland and he’s come (to Utah), but I think he’s constantly, each year, taken a step,” Bulls coach Billy Donovan told Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic. “I think Matas can do the exact same thing. I’m not saying they’re the exact same players, but I think he can make those kinds of steps.”
- The Bulls’ decision to hand power forward Patrick Williams a five-year, $90MM contract last summer doesn’t look like a wise investment at the moment. Williams is averaging a career-low 8.9 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 49 games, including 35 starts. There is one aspect of his game where he could show some progress the remainder of this season — his decision-making — before entering the offseason with a plan for how live up to that contract, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun Times writes. “I think he’s a guy who, early in his career — and it’s still early in his career — had a hard time getting over mistakes,” Donovan said. “I think he’s gotten past that and he’s been better with that. The other part is the decision-making part of it. There’s times he’s got to get off [the ball]. There’s times he’s got to shoot. There’s times he’s got to drive it.”
Dunn, Ellis Among Impact Role Players Ineligible For All-Defense Consideration
In the wake of Tony Allen‘s jersey retirement ceremony in Memphis, John Hollinger of The Athletic revisits Allen’s six All-Defensive seasons for the Grizzlies and notes that the veteran guard wouldn’t have made All-Defense in five of those six years if the NBA’s current 65-game rule had been in place.
The 65-game rule doesn’t simply require players to appear in at least 65 games to earn end-of-season award consideration — it requires them to reach the 20-minute threshold in at least 63 games and to play 15 or more minutes in two others.
Allen came up short of 65 total games in three of his six All-Defensive seasons and had fewer than 63 games of 20-plus minutes in two additional seasons, despite making more than 65 appearances in each of those two years. His résumé isn’t unique among All-Defensive honorees. As Hollinger points out, the entire All-Defense second team in 2021/22 would have fallen short of the 65-game requirement.
With defensive standouts like Victor Wembanyama and Anthony Davis on track to play fewer than 65 games this season, there could be some spots on this year’s All-Defensive teams up for grabs for less obvious candidates. But a few of the league’s most impactful defensive role players are already ineligible for award consideration.
Hollinger singles out Clippers guard Kris Dunn as a prime example. Dunn leads the NBA in defensive box plus-minus and ranks second in the league in steal percentage, behind Dyson Daniels. He also ranks third among qualified players in deflections per 36 minutes and has been a driving force behind a Clippers defense that has the third-best defensive rating in the NBA.
Dunn has also played in 60 games this season, putting him on pace to exceed the 65-game minimum, but he has played 20-plus minutes in just 44 of those contests. With only 14 games left in the Clippers’ season, Dunn will fall short of the games-played requirement for award consideration, despite a strong case for All-Defense.
Kings guard Keon Ellis is in the same boat, Hollinger observes. Another player with high marks in categories like defensive box plus-minus, steal percentage, and deflections per 36 minutes, Ellis has appeared in 64 games but reached the 20-minute mark in only 41 of them, so he won’t reach the required minimum either.
Cason Wallace, one of the Thunder‘s best defenders, will need to play 20-plus minutes in 10 of the team’s final 14 games to qualify for award consideration. Rockets wing Amen Thompson, currently sidelined due to an ankle sprain, is still seven 20-minute games shy of the required minimum.
Pistons big man Jalen Duren recently argued that his frontcourt mate Isaiah Stewart deserves a spot on an All-Defensive team, and Fred Katz of The Athletic agreed. However, Stewart has long been ineligible for consideration — he has logged at least 20 minutes in just 24 of his 62 outings this season.
The 65-game rule currently only applies to certain awards. A player doesn’t have to meet the criteria in order to qualify for Rookie of the Year, an All-Rookie team, or Sixth Man of the Year.
In Hollinger’s view, All-Defense should get the same treatment, with the 65-game rule either relaxed or eliminated, since players who receive All-Defensive consideration often play much different roles than players who get votes for awards like MVP and All-NBA.
What do you think? Should the requirements of the 65-game rule apply for All-Defensive candidates? Head to the comment section below to weigh in with your two cents.
Sixers Notes: Hood-Schifino, Reed, Bona, George, Embiid
Considering their lottery situation, the Sixers really didn’t need a win Sunday afternoon in Dallas, but that didn’t matter to Jalen Hood-Schifino or the other players trying to prove themselves at the NBA level, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Hood-Schifino, who signed a two-way contract on March 1, came off the bench to sink five three-pointers and score 19 points in 23 minutes. He also hit a pair of foul shots with four seconds left that put the game out of reach.
“For me, just focusing on my breath and saying calm, and knowing if I get those two free throws, the game is over,” Hood-Schifino said. “So for me, it was about relaxing and knocking those shots down.”
Pompey notes that while the Sixers snapped a three-game losing streak and won for just the fourth time in 21 games, it wasn’t the best outcome for a team that will surrender its first-round pick to Oklahoma City if it falls outside the top six. Brooklyn also won on Sunday while Toronto lost, leaving Philadelphia with the sixth-worst record in the league, a half-game behind the Nets in the lottery standings and a half-game ahead of the Raptors.
“Listen, we are going to prepare this group to go out there and have some success,” coach Nick Nurse said. “Again, they played very well tonight. … Again, we just want to prepare them well and give them a chance to show what they can do and have some success.”
There’s more on the Sixers:
- Pistons center Paul Reed, who was waived by Philadelphia in July, took a shot at his former team on social media Saturday night, posting, “They thought I was the problem,” Pompey adds. Asked to comment on Sunday, Nurse replied, “I don’t have a response. We certainly didn’t think Paul Reed was a problem.”
- The Sixers’ list of inactive players for Sunday grew to 10 when center Adem Bona was declared out due to a sprained left ankle, Pompey tweets. There’s no word on how much time Bona is expected to miss.
- The Sixers were counting on Paul George to lift them into title contention when he signed as a free agent last summer, but their best move might be to try to unload his hefty contract during the offseason, Pompey states in a separate story. The nine-time All-Star has been limited to 41 games this season and hasn’t played since March 4 because of groin and knee injuries. He’ll turn 35 in May and still has three years and $162.3MM left on his contract.
- The Sixers won’t be able to make real progress until they move on from Joel Embiid, Pompey argues in another piece. He notes that Philadelphia’s front office keeps making personnel moves to build around Embiid, but the star center’s constant injuries prevent them from being effective. Pompey adds that with Embiid, George and Tyrese Maxey using up virtually all the team’s cap space over the next several seasons, there’s little room to improve if they all remain on the roster.
Pistons’ Bickerstaff ‘Disgusted’ By Officiating In Loss To OKC
Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff ripped into the officiating crew on Saturday in his post-game media session following a six-point loss to the Thunder, as Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press writes. Bickerstaff told reporters that he was “extremely proud” about how his team competed, but was “disgusted” by the way the game was officiated.
“The level of disrespect was above and beyond,” the Pistons’ coach said (YouTube link). “They have a guy fall down and trip on his own teammate’s foot, they review us for a hostile act. They throw an elbow to our chest/neck area, I ask them to at least take a look at it. Just show us the respect to take a look at it. No one would take a look at it. The disrespect has gone on far enough and I’m not going to allow our guys to be treated the way they were treated tonight.”
During the sequence Bickerstaff was referring to, the referees reviewed a relatively mild Isaiah Stewart loose-ball foul to see if it constituted a “hostile act.” The infraction was eventually ruled a common foul, but the Pistons were hit with three technicals – two and an ejection for Cade Cunningham and one Dennis Schröder – following that replay review for arguing with the officiating crew.
Crew chief Brian Forte explained to a pool reporter after the game that Cunningham repeatedly used “profanity” toward an official, while Schröder was given a tech for “continuous complaining” after the Pistons had received a team warning.
Bickerstaff and Pistons wing Ausar Thompson were also hit with technical fouls earlier in the game.
“I tried to have a conversation with an official, the official is arguing with (Thunder head coach) Mark (Daigneault), I say his name one time and he screams at me and tells me that’s enough,” Bickerstaff said, per Sankofa. “We understand that we play a style of ball that’s physical, it’s on the edge. I coach my ass off in a passionate way, I’m into the game, our players are into the game. We understand that.
“But we deserve a level of respect because we’re competing our tails off and bringing something positive to this league. We’re growing young players, our young players are competing their tails off. The least that they can do is give us the same respect that everybody else in this league gets and get refereed the same that everybody in this league gets reffed,” Bickerstaff continued, repeatedly and forcefully slamming his hand on the table for emphasis. “And enough is enough of it. What you saw tonight was disgusting. It was a disgusting display of disrespect towards our guys and what we’re trying to do.”
The Thunder made 17-of-22 free throw attempts on the night, compared to 9-of-13 for the Pistons — that disparity made the difference in a game that Oklahoma City won by a score of 113-107.
Asked in his own post-game media session about Bickerstaff’s comments, Daigneault said he advised his team before tip-off that the officiating crew, based on the Thunder’s research and referee analytics, was unlikely to call a ton of fouls.
“That referee crew was the loosest whistle coming into the game that we’ve seen all season, in terms of how little they call,” he said (Twitter video link via Joel Lorenzi of The Oklahoman). “So we knew, we told the guys before the game, ‘This is going to be a physical game because it’s Detroit and they’re not going to call very much.’ That bore out, I thought, with the amount of physicality they allowed in the game. I thought our guys did a great job of not getting distracted by anything.”
While the NBA hasn’t made an announcement yet, Bickerstaff seems likely to face a fine for publicly calling out the officials.
Pistons Notes: Thompson, Stewart, Ivey, Bickerstaff
The Pistons‘ defense had an off night in Thursday’s loss to Washington, so it was odd that Ausar Thompson didn’t get more playing time, writes Hunter Patterson of The Athletic. While Detroit was giving up 129 points to the worst team in the East, Thompson was limited to 19 minutes and saw just two seconds of action in the fourth quarter.
Patterson notes that Thompson was effective when he was on the court, finishing with 10 points, four rebounds, an assist and a block. He swatted away a three-point attempt by the Wizards’ 7’0″ rookie Alex Sarr.
Coach J.B. Bickerstaff only took three questions after the loss and didn’t explain Thompson’s reduced playing time, Patterson adds. However, he did address it before Saturday’s game, telling reporters, “It was my decision down the stretch … nothing that he did. He’ll definitely get an opportunity to play more tonight.” (Twitter link from Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press)
There’s more from Detroit:
- Following the embarrassing loss, several players talked about the need to stay focused every night, per Coty M. Davis of The Detroit News. They understand that each game is important as they try to move into fourth place and secure home court advantage for the first round of the playoffs. “Pretty much everybody (spoke up). We knew we didn’t do our job tonight. We knew we didn’t handle business, so everybody was disappointed,” Isaiah Stewart said. “I would just say it’s a lesson for us. We want to hang our hat on playing Detroit basketball every night and being consistent with that. We just didn’t do that tonight, and hopefully, we learn from that.”
- In a separate story, Jaden Ivey talks to Davis about the collision in a New Year’s Day game that resulted in his broken fibula. Orlando’s Cole Anthony made contact with Ivey’s left leg while diving for the ball, effectively ending Ivey’s season. The Pistons announced on Thursday that the next update on Ivey’s condition will be four weeks away. “I’ve watched the clip; it’s just a basketball play,” Ivey said. “You are diving on the floor and playing hard for your team; I get it. I am not too over the situation of how I got hurt. But I am just taking things day by day.”
- Pistons players are crediting Bickerstaff’s increased expectations for helping them quickly develop into a successful team, Patterson adds in another story for The Athletic. Bickerstaff was brought in to turn things around after a 14-win season. “Obviously, we’ve had a lot of changes, from front office to different personnel and lineups,” Jalen Duren said. “But I think overall, I want to give credit to J.B. and what he’s brought to the team in terms of a seriousness and an approach to the game, if that makes sense. He kind of keeps us on track and lets us know how, since day one, we’re not just out here to do this. We’re trying to make some noise, we’re trying to become a better team and he’s carried that all season. He’s the guy who’s set the tone for the culture.”
Southeast Notes: Bogdanovic, Wizards, Poole, Joseph, Houstan
Before being traded from the Hawks to the Clippers at last month’s deadline, Bogdan Bogdanovic had changed teams once before in his NBA career, having initially signed with Atlanta in 2020 after three years in Sacramento. However, last month’s trade represented the first in-season move for the veteran guard, who said it has been a more challenging adjustment period and that he was “nervous” returning to Atlanta to face his old team on Friday, per Lauren Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
“This, in-season (move) is really tough,” Bogdanovic said. “And as much as I told you I was ready, I wasn’t ready. As you can see it at the beginning, the way I played and just the way I felt. So how the time goes, everything, it’s getting better.”
Bogdanovic, who said he didn’t know where the visitors’ locker room was when he entered the arena ahead of Friday’s game, scored 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting in a win over the Hawks on Friday. He also got to match up on a few possessions with Trae Young and admitted that going up against his friend and former teammate took some getting used to.
“I won’t lie to you, there’s one situation, I gave him a high-five on the floor,” Bogdanovic said. “But you see the face, and it’s like ‘Let’s go.’ But it’s just a normal reaction, as I said. Yeah, it was weird. It was weird to play against them, but it’s business at the end of the day. And I wish them all the best, honestly. They’re great group of guys. I know how hard they are working, and they had a good run. They’re gonna have a good run.”
We have more from around the Southeast:
- The Pistons‘ impressive turnaround this season should serve as an inspiration for the Wizards as they make their way through a slow rebuilding process, writes Josh Robbins of The Athletic. Washington may not have its future franchise cornerstone on the roster yet like Detroit did with Cade Cunningham, Robbins acknowledges, but the Pistons’ success this season shows the importance of having the right head coach in place and how a few smart veteran additions can help unlock the potential of a club’s young players.
- Speaking to Marc J. Spears of Andscape, Wizards guard Jordan Poole said he believes the team’s “ceiling is high” and that there’s already “a lot of talented guys” on the roster. “The ball is rolling. Snowball effect right now,” he said. “It’ll take a little bit, but we got the right group, the right setup. We’re in a really good situation right now. We’re playing some fun basketball. It’s something going to be more competitive, better as we go.” Poole also discussed a number of other topics, including what he’s learning from Khris Middleton and Marcus Smart and why he has felt more comfortable this season than he did during his first year in D.C.
- Veteran Magic point guard Cory Joseph has made his first three starts of the season in the past two weeks and played a season-high 30 minutes in Thursday’s win over New Orleans, earning praise from head coach Jamahl Mosley, as Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel relays (via Twitter). “His poise and his ability to get guys in the right spot,” Mosley said when asked what has stood out about Joseph’s performance. “And then defensively picking up full-court. The energy that he brings as a veteran, you can’t say enough about his positive spirit, his positive energy.” Orlando holds a minimum-salary team option on Joseph for 2025/26.
- Like Joseph, Magic forward Caleb Houstan has a minimum-salary team option on his contract for next season and was lauded this week by Mosley for stepping up after being out of the rotation for much of the year. Houstan scored 18 points in 26 minutes in Friday’s loss to Minnesota. “I say this with no hesitation. He might be one of the hardest workers I’ve seen,” Mosley, according to Beede. “This kid is in early, stays late, comes back, works on his shot. … He is determined. He is focused. He’s a pro. He stays ready no matter if his number is called for two minutes or 22 minutes.”