Kawhi Leonard, Jaylen Brown Named Players Of Week
Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard and Celtics forward Jaylen Brown have been named the Western and Eastern Conference Players of the Week, respectively, according to the NBA (Twitter links).
Leonard led the Clippers to three wins during the week of December 22-28 while posting averages of 41.3 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.7 steals per contest. The star forward erupted for a career-high 55 points against the Pistons on Sunday.
It’s Leonard’s fourth Player of the Week award as a Clipper and the 10th of his NBA career, but it’s the first time he has earned the honor since the 2023/24 season.
Kevin Durant (Rockets), Keyonte George (Jazz), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder) and Nikola Jokic (Nuggets) were the other Western Conference nominees.
The Celtics, meanwhile, went 2-1 last week with Brown averaging 32.7 points on 55.9 percent shooting from the field while also grabbing 6.3 rebounds per game.
Boston’s star wing has scored at least 30 points in all nine games he has played this month and has now been named the East’s Player of the Week twice in December — he also claimed the award on Dec. 8. Brown and Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson have traded the award back and forth in recent weeks, with no other Eastern Conference player winning it since Nov. 24.
LaMelo Ball (Hornets), Scottie Barnes (Raptors), Cade Cunningham (Pistons), Josh Giddey (Bulls), Michael Porter Jr. (Nets) and Karl-Anthony Towns (Knicks) were all nominated in the East.
Doncic, Antetokounmpo Lead Early Fan Voting For All-Star Game
Lakers guard Luka Doncic and Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo lead the Western and Eastern Conferences, respectively, in the first returns of fan voting for the All-Star Game, according to the NBA (Twitter link).
Doncic leads all players with 1,249,518 votes. The top five vote-getters from the Western Conference also include Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, Warriors guard Stephen Curry, Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama.
Joining Antetokounmpo among the top five in the Eastern Conference are Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey, Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, Pistons guard Cade Cunningham and Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell.
Fans voting represents 50% of the vote to determine the five players from each conference to be named as starters for the All-Star Game, with current NBA players and a media panel accounting for 25% each. This year, All-Stars are being selected without regard to position.
A newly-created, round-robin tournament featuring a USA vs. World format will be held Sunday, Feb. 15 at the Intuit Dome, the new home of the Clippers.
Pistons Expected To Promote Daniss Jenkins To Standard Deal
The Pistons are considered likely to give Daniss Jenkins a promotion at some point in the coming weeks, according to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link), who reports that there is a “growing expectation” that Jenkins’ two-way contract will be converted to a standard deal.
Jenkins has been active for all 31 of Detroit’s games this season. Two-way players are permitted to be active for up to 50 games in a season, so the conversion will likely occur closer to the February 5 trade deadline.
A 24-year-old point guard, Jenkins performed exceptionally well during a five-game span in mid-November when the Pistons were hit hard by injuries. He was nominated for the Player of the Week award in the Eastern Conference for games played from Nov. 10-16.
While Jenkins’ role has been reduced with the Pistons at full strength, he continues to be part of the team’s rotation, appearing in 15 of the club’s past 16 games. Overall, the second-year guard has averaged 7.5 points, 3.0 assists and 1.8 rebounds on .427/.356/.771 shooting in 25 appearances, including six starts (16.2 minutes per contest).
In order to promote Jenkins, the Pistons would have to make a change to their standard roster, which is currently at the maximum of 15 players under contract. Isaac Jones‘ roster spot appears the most tenuous — his minimum-salary contract is non-guaranteed until January 7, and he has only made one appearance with Detroit since he was claimed off waivers on Nov. 6.
Central Notes: Pistons, Bulls, Williams, Cavs
The Pistons lost for just the seventh time this season on Friday, falling to the Jazz, 131-129. Utah scored 44 of its points in the third quarter and Detroit coach J.B. Bickerstaff was disappointed with his club’s defensive effort.
“Discipline. Execution. Commitment to who we are. Forty-four points in a quarter is unacceptable,” he said, per Hunter Patterson of The Athletic (Twitter link). “I know we ask a lot of our guys, and most nights they give it to us. Tonight was one of those nights where we were loose from the start.”
Star guard Cade Cunningham agreed with that assessment, Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press tweets.
“This isn’t the level that we should be playing at. We know we’re better than this,” he said. “It’s in our standard. We’ve just gotta go back to the drawing board, figure out what that is that’s taking away from our defense. Come back better, we’ve gotta be better.”
Here’s more from the Central Division:
- The Bulls‘ reserves scored 59 points in their 109-102 win over Philadelphia on Friday, stretching Chicago’s winning streak to five games. “Even if we lost a couple [of games], we were still trending in the right direction,” big man Zach Collins said, per Kyle Williams of the Chicago Sun-Times. “Everybody’s kind of having a good run right now. We’re crashing the glass a little bit more, just playing a little bit harder and obviously that’s easier when things are going well. We’re winning games and the vibes are high. So we just got to make sure we keep doing those things here.”
- One Bulls player who didn’t leave the bench in Friday’s victory was forward Patrick Williams. He was listed as questionable coming into the game due to an illness, but suited up. Williams averaged just 7.8 minutes in the previous four games, Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic tweets. The former lottery pick is in the second year of a five-year, $90MM extension.
- The Cavaliers‘ tendency to give up offensive rebounds at key times was apparent when they blew a 17-point lead on Christmas Day while losing to the Knicks, Joe Vardon of The Athletic notes. “I think it starts with mentality,” coach Kenny Atkinson said. “I know everyone says physicality, physicality. I think it’s your mental focus. And there’s a difference. You got the scrum rebounds and you got the ones where guys came in from the corner, and I don’t know who missed that Towns one, but those are the ones, the mindless ones, it’s not physicality to me. It’s like, ‘Are you focused? Are you seeing your man? Are you going to crash? Are you gonna get a hit first?’”
Nets Notes: Porter, Trade Possibilities, Demin, Traore
Michael Porter Jr. might be too good to keep on the roster if the Nets intend to tank, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Porter, who has been an offensive force since he was acquired in an offseason trade with Denver, poured in 28 points in Tuesday’s win at Philadelphia.
It was the latest in a string of impressive performances by Porter, but it’s not what Brooklyn needs if it intends to maximize the value of its first-round pick as owner Joe Tsai suggested early in the season. Sources told Lewis that philosophy hasn’t changed, so Porter may have to be dealt or shut down at some point.
Porter has a long medical history that includes herniated discs, three back surgeries, a damaged peroneal nerve and “foot drop,” which requires him to wear a brace while playing. He’s under contract for one more season at $40.8MM, and Lewis suggests he might have more value to a contender than he would as a long-term piece for the Nets to build around.
Lewis cites the Pistons and Bucks as potential trade partners. Detroit can offer a first-round pick, Tobias Harris‘ $26.6MM expiring contract and another piece such as Caris LeVert, Ron Holland or Jaden Ivey, while Milwaukee could trade its first-rounder in 2031 or 2032, along with Kyle Kuzma and Bobby Portis.
A source tells Lewis that Clippers owner Steve Ballmer is determined to turn around the season after a slow start and is “not interested in rebuilding in any form or fashion.” Lewis proposes a deal sending Porter and Cam Thomas to L.A. in exchange for an unprotected 2032 first-rounder, John Collins and Bogdan Bogdanovic.
There’s more from Brooklyn:
- Rookie guard Egor Demin continues to respond well to challenges from coach Jordi Fernandez, Lewis states in a separate story. Demin turned in one of his best games with 20 points, five assists and two rebounds in Tuesday’s win, and he ranks second among rookies by hitting at least four three-pointers in six games, answering pre-draft concerns about his outside shot. “Egor is a kid that cares so much about doing the right thing the whole time. Obviously it stands out, his size for his position and ability to shoot the ball and share the ball,” Fernandez said. “He does a great job finding the three-point line for his teammates and shooting the three himself, but he’s done a much better job being aggressive getting into the paint. When he’s finished aggressive at the rim, he’s done a great job.”
- In another piece, Lewis examines how the Nets were able to turn around a defense that was headed toward being the worst in NBA history.
- Nolan Traore may get more NBA opportunities after scoring eight points in Sunday’s win over Toronto, per Howie Kussoy of The New York Post. The Nets have brought the 19-year-old French point guard along slowly, playing him mostly in the G League so far. “He did a great job overall. (It) looked like all the minutes he’s played (on) Long Island right now are paying off,” Fernandez said. “And now he came here with a lot of confidence, and this is what it’s all about. Minutes are the best coach to develop you. And he took advantage of those minutes (on) Long Island, and now he’s taking advantage of his minutes here, and he was a big part of us winning this game.”
Central Rumors: Bucks, Grant, Kispert, Cavs, White, Duren
The expectation around the NBA is that the Bucks are looking to make an impactful in-season trade in the hopes of upgrading their roster around Giannis Antetokounmpo and Myles Turner, reports Brett Siegel of Clutch Points.
According to Siegel, Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant – rumored to be a potential Milwaukee target – was the name linked to the Bucks most frequently by executives at the G League Winter Showcase over the weekend, with some sources speculating that Milwaukee could land both Grant and center Robert Williams in a deal with Portland.
While Siegel suggests that the Bucks could package Kyle Kuzma, Bobby Portis, and one more smaller contract for those two players, I’m not convinced that sort of deal would meaningfully affect Milwaukee’s outlook. Williams’ availability has been extremely limited due to his extensive injury history, and the Blazers have been better when he’s off the court than when he’s on it this season.
In addition to confirming that Grant and Heat forward Andrew Wiggins are receiving consideration from the Bucks, Siegel identifies Wizards wing Corey Kispert as another player who is on Milwaukee’s radar. Known as a three-point marksman, Kispert is hitting 40.3% of his outside shots this season, though he’s playing a career-low 19.9 minutes per game.
We have more rumors from across the Central Division:
- Many sources who have spoken to Siegel downplayed the idea that the Cavaliers are looking to shake up their roster in a significant way this season. Still, that doesn’t mean the team won’t be active with non-core players prior to the deadline. Siegel singles out forwards De’Andre Hunter and Dean Wade as trade candidates to watch, noting that the Rockets had interest in Wade before signing Dorian Finney-Smith in free agency this past summer.
- At least six teams around the NBA have inquired on Bulls guard Coby White, Siegel writes, with league executives speculating that the Magic, Hawks, and Cavaliers could be among his suitors. There’s a belief that Orlando wants to add more scoring punch by trading Jonathan Isaac and second-round draft capital, per Siegel, though he adds that the Bulls are optimistic about getting at least one unprotected first-round pick for White. While Chicago could probably extract a 2026 first-rounder from a playoff team for White, I think the team would have a harder time acquiring a future first-rounder with more significant lottery upside in exchange for a player who almost certainly won’t sign an extension prior to reaching unrestricted free agency at season’s end.
- Teams around the NBA are curious to see what Jalen Duren‘s next contract will look like, with the Pistons big man in the midst of a career year ahead of restricted free agency, writes Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link). “The Pistons are being overshadowed by OKC and San Antonio, but they’re just as set up to compete for the next five years as anyone,” one assistant general manager told Fischer, who writes that Duren could be headed for $40MM+ per year on his second NBA deal. A five-year, maximum-salary contract for a fifth-year player like Duren next summer projects to be worth over $48MM annually.
Bickerstaff To Replace Carlisle As NBCA President
Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle has been president of the National Basketball Coaches Association since 2005, but he’s stepping down at the end of December, writes Ken Powtak of The Associated Press.
Carlisle said he will be replaced by Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, who was selected by union members. A longtime NBA coach, the 46-year-old Bickerstaff currently serves as the NBCA’s vice president/treasurer.
“I guess now might be a good time to announce, I decided about a year ago that this would be my last year,” Carlisle said Monday night before the Pacers played in Boston. “This is my 20th year. My term will end at the end of this month. We’ve held our elections and the membership has made a tremendous and phenomenal choice to succeed me and that’s going to be J.B. Bickerstaff.”
Carlisle spoke glowingly of Bickerstaff, calling him a “trusted friend,” Powtak adds.
“The job he did in Cleveland, taking that team from the lottery to winning in the playoffs was phenomenal. The job he’s done in Detroit the last year and a half speaks for itself. He’s a great leader and passionate guy for coaches. … I congratulate J.B. This will be a life-changing experience for him. It has been for me.”
Carlisle also said he and the NBCA are trying to help Bickerstaff’s father Bernie be nominated to the Hall of Fame as a contributor, according to Powtak. The elder Bickerstaff was an NBA coach for several decades and is now a senior advisor with the Pistons.
Jaren Jackson Jr., Jalen Brunson Named Players Of Week
Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr. and Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson were named the Western and Eastern Conference Players of the Week, respectively, according to the NBA (Twitter links).
This marks the second career Player of the Week award for Jackson, who averaged 27.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.7 steals and 2.7 blocks in 32.7 minutes per game and led Memphis to a 2-1 record during the week of December 15-21.
Jackson recorded a season-high 31 points and five blocks in the Grizzlies’ 121-103 road win last Monday against the Clippers and followed that with 28 points, a season-high 12 rebounds and three blocks in Memphis’ 116-110 road victory on Wednesday against Minnesota.
Brunson racked up 31.3 points, 8.0 assists and 5.3 rebounds per game as the Knicks went 2-1 after their NBA Cup triumph. He had 47 points in the Knicks’ 132-125 win over Miami on Sunday.
It’s the second major individual award for Brunson over the past week. He was also named the MVP of the NBA Cup. He also becomes the first two-time Eastern Conference Player of the Week this season, having also earned the honor on December 1.
Deni Avdija and Shaedon Sharpe (Trail Blazers), Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert (Timberwolves), Keyonte George (Jazz), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder) and Nikola Jokic (Nuggets) were the other nominees for the Western Conference Player of the Week award.
Cade Cunningham (Pistons), Josh Giddey and Nikola Vucevic (Bulls), Kon Knueppel (Hornets), Tyrese Maxey (Sixers) and Derrick White (Celtics) were the other nominees in the East.
Pistons Notes: Bickerstaff, Officiating, Trade Targets, Cunningham
The Pistons had their four-game winning streak snapped on Thursday in Dallas as the Mavericks pulled out a nail-biting 116-114 upset victory in overtime. During his post-game remarks to the media, head coach J.B. Bickerstaff stressed that his team didn’t lose the game solely because of the officiating, but aired out a number of complaints about the referees, with a focus on crew chief John Goble.
As Tim MacMahon of ESPN writes, Bickerstaff never explicitly called out Goble by name. However, he repeatedly cited calls made by the crew chief and told reporters that Goble said to him during the game, “Night by night, this is how our interactions are.”
“So, that says to me that the referee is coming into the game not being objective,” Bickerstaff said. “OK? That same referee, at halftime, I get my technical foul. I don’t say anything to him. I go to grab Cade (Cunningham) to get Cade off the floor. He gives me a technical foul. That’s my job to get my player away from the referee, get us back to halftime so we can have the conversations that we need to have.
“So, the same referee who comes into the game who’s not objective, and then he goes out and makes those calls. (That) same referee, if you take a look at the play where he ejects (Ausar Thompson), he steps towards A.T., right? That’s where the minimal contact happens, where he steps towards him and initiates it.”
Goble told pool reporter Christian Clark of The Athletic after the game that he assessed Bickerstaff with a technical foul for “continuous complaining” and that Thompson was ejected for “aggressively approaching and making contact with an official.”
Bickerstaff also wasn’t happy about the fact that he wasn’t awarded a timeout during the Pistons’ final offensive possession despite the fact that “that same referee” (Goble) was standing next to him.
“You had one guy who wanted to make the game about the referees when that’s not what this should have been,” Bickerstaff said. “This was two teams competing their tails off, playing high-level basketball. But anybody who comes into the game and says ‘night by night,’ he clearly has an unobjective point of view.”
Here’s more on the Pistons:
- In a subscriber-only story for The Detroit Free Press, Omari Sankofa II identifies three-point shooting, power forward depth, and a second scorer to complement Cunningham as three areas the Pistons should be focusing on as the trade deadline approaches. Sankofa also singles out a few players who could be targeted in trades to address those needs, including Lauri Markkanen, Sam Hauser, and Dorian Finney-Smith.
- Cunningham just turned 24 years old in September, but he has already emerged as the Pistons’ leader. Hunter Patterson of The Athletic traces Cunningham’s desire to lead back to his high school days, when he was the youngest player on his varsity team and felt like the “odd man out” among players who didn’t want him there. “Me and those guys have come to terms, and we’re all good now. But it was something that made me grow a lot,” Cunningham explained. “… I learned how to lead from that, learned how to make people feel how I wanted to be made to feel at that time. I think that was one of the first moments where I was like, ‘I don’t like how this type of leadership is, and I want to be better whenever I have that opportunity to be the best player on the team.’ So I always revert back to that team whenever I’m thinking about how a leader was (that) I didn’t like.”
- After finishing seventh in MVP voting a year ago, Cunningham has career-high averages of 27.2 points, 9.2 assists, 6.2 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game so far this season. Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd said prior to Thursday’s game that the Pistons guard deserves to be an even bigger part of the MVP conversation this season. “When you look at the pace, his speed and his ability to control the game not just from scoring but passing,” Kidd said (Twitter link via Sankofa). “… He understands when it’s time to go. He should be mentioned with the MVPs, if not MVP right now, because of the high level he’s playing.”
Scotto’s Latest: Markkanen, Hornets, Murphy, Walker, Kuminga, More
Utah will send its 2026 first-round pick to Oklahoma City if it lands outside the top eight, and if the season ended today, the 10-15 Jazz would have the NBA’s 10th-worst record, making their first-rounder likely to change hands. Given that context, executives around the league are wondering if Utah’s front office will be active on the trade market in the hopes of weakening the roster in the short term and ensuring the club keeps that pick, writes Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.
However, according to Scotto, the Jazz continue to signal that they want to build around forward Lauri Markkanen, despite trade interest in the star forward. In the past, rival execs have viewed the Pistons, Spurs, and Grizzlies as potential suitors for Markkanen if he’s made available, Scotto notes.
As for Utah’s plans beyond this season, the team hopes to use its 2026 cap room to improve its roster, either via free agency or the trade market, Scotto writes. Retaining Walker Kessler still appears to be a priority too — the Jazz turned down a trade offer for Kessler from the Lakers similar to the one L.A. made for Mark Williams, sources tell HoopsHype. The Jazz could carry a cap hold of about $14.6MM for Kessler next summer before going over the cap to re-sign him at a starting salary higher than that.
Here’s more from Scotto:
- The Hornets are hoping to get an extended look at their roster with LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, Kon Knueppel, and Miles Bridges all healthy and available. Still, Scotto hears that Miller’s inconsistent availability has executives around the NBA wondering if the former No. 2 overall pick might not be as untouchable in trade discussions as he once was.
- The Warriors and Trail Blazers are among the teams who are high on Pelicans wing Trey Murphy III, but rival executives believe Golden State would prioritize making a run at Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo before giving up significant assets to land Murphy, Scotto writes. There’s also still plenty of skepticism that New Orleans would part with Murphy at all, with some execs speculating that it might take a package similar to what Memphis got for Desmond Bane.
- Following up on his previous report stating that the Pacers are among the teams with interest in Keon Ellis, Scotto notes that Indiana forward Jarace Walker came up in trade discussions with the Kings. However, Scotto cautions that it’s unclear which team brought up Walker’s name in those talks that he describes as “exploratory.”
- Checking in on Jonathan Kuminga, Scotto says the Kings continue to monitor the Warriors forward, but confirms that the Suns‘ interest level has decreased and that the Nets were never all that interested. The Pelicans have also been linked to Kuminga in the past, but it’s unclear whether they have interest now, Scotto adds.
- Partizan Belgrade, the Serbian team recently linked to Malik Beasley, has also expressed interest in free agent point guard Cameron Payne, sources tell HoopsHype. As for Beasley, he has also drawn interest from Real Madrid and Bayern Munich in the EuroLeague, as well as the Chinese Basketball Association teams Liaoning, Guangdong, and Shanxi, per Scotto.