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Heat Notes: Jovic, Larsson, Fontecchio, Dragic

By | at August 28, 2025 5:49 pm

Heat forward Nikola Jovic got off to an excellent start at the EuroBasket tournament in Latvia on Wednesday, as Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel writes. Jovic was Serbia’s leading scorer – with 18 points on 6-of-8 shooting – and was an eye-popping plus-36 in just 16 minutes of action in a blowout victory over Estonia.

As impressive as Jovic was a scorer and shooter (3-of-4 on three-pointers), his passing was perhaps even more noteworthy — he racked up six assists while committing just one turnover. The 22-year-old has averaged 2.2 assists per game in 107 regular season outings through three NBA seasons.

A pair of Jovic’s Heat teammates who are also competing at EuroBasket weren’t as productive in their respective 2025 debuts. Pelle Larsson battled foul trouble and scored just 10 points while missing all four of his three-point tries in Sweden’s loss to Finland on Wednesday. On Thursday, Simone Fontecchio made just 1-of-11 shots from the field and was a minus-11 across 34 minutes in Italy’s nine-point loss to Greece.

We have more on the Heat:

  • In a mailbag for The Sun Sentinel, Winderman explores the Heat’s expectations and projected roles for Jovic and Larsson in 2025/26, suggesting that Jovic will likely be a top frontcourt reserve while Larsson would be doing well to show he can be a “quality ninth man.”
  • Although former Heat point guard Goran Dragic may one day take on a more formal role with the club, there’s no indication that he’s joining Erik Spoelstra‘s coaching staff at this point, despite social media posts that showed him in attendance at practice, Winderman writes for The Sun Sentinel. For now, it appears Dragic is just informally “looking to pass on knowledge to the next generation,” including rookie point guard Kasparas Jakucionis, Winderman explains.
  • With the deadline for teams to use the stretch provision on 2025/26 salaries now less than 24 hours away, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald hears from a league source that the Heat are “leaning against” stretching anyone’s salary on Thursday or Friday. A waive-and-stretch move likely would’ve received more serious consideration if Miami hadn’t moved under the luxury tax line by trading Haywood Highsmith to Brooklyn earlier this month.
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Veteran Nuggets Executive Martynas Pocius Joining Real Madrid

By | at August 28, 2025 4:32 pm

Veteran Nuggets executive Martynas Pocius is leaving the NBA to become a deputy general manager for Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid, reports Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com.

Pocius has spent the past eight years working in Denver’s front office, most recently holding the title of assistant director of pro personnel, Urbonas writes. The 39-year-old has also served as a Nuggets scout both in the NBA and around the globe.

Pocius played college basketball for — and graduated from — Duke and competed in the EuroLeague for several years prior to retiring in 2017, as Kendra Andrews wrote for The Athletic in 2020. Pocius, who was a guard, played for Zalgiris Kaunas in his native Lithuania as well as Real Madrid and Galatasaray (Turkey).

“Since I played at Duke, I had seven surgeries,” Pocius told Andrews. “It took a toll on my body and I was in this cycle of getting injured, having surgery, trying rehab, all to come back and then have it happen all over again … I was reaching a point where I wasn’t enjoying basketball as much as I used to. I was a gym rat and I loved the gym, and it wasn’t fun being there anymore.”

Pocius also won a pair of medals — a bronze at the 2010 World Cup and a silver at EuroBasket 2013 — with the Lithuanian national team, Urbonas notes.

Pocius will be working alongside former Real Madrid backcourt mate Sergio Rodriguez in running the team’s front office. Rodriguez, a former NBA first-round pick, retired as a player last year.

It’s worth noting that Pocius got his start with the Nuggets due to his connection to childhood friend Tommy Balcetis. According to Andrews, while they were both attending Balcetis’ wedding, former head of basketball operations Tim Connelly offered Pocius a job if he decided to retire, something he wound up doing a year later.

The Nuggets decided not to retain Balcetis in June after the team’s former assistant GM had spent 12 years with the organization.

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Pacific Notes: Suns, Ishbia, Doncic, EuroBasket

By | at August 27, 2025 9:06 pm

There’s little question who the most important Suns player is. Beyond recently extended All-Star guard Devin Booker, however, identifying the top talent on the current roster is more of an open question.

Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic (subscriber link) tackles that question, ranking the five most important Phoenix players aside from the 6’5″ Kentucky alum. Second-year wing Ryan Dunn, new post-Durant trade additions Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks, and new centers Mark Williams and Khaman Maluach make the cut.

There’s more out of the Pacific Division:

  • Suns owner Mat Ishbia has weighed in on ESPN’s recent forecast that Phoenix would win 30 games, Rankin writes. Given that the Suns won just 36 games last year with a more star-studded roster led by 15-time All-Star Kevin Durant, ESPN’s thinking seems fairly logical. “I’m not worried about what the so-called experts think,” Ishbia wrote (Twitter link), while quoting a Burn City Sports tweet about the article. “They had us as a title contender the past two years and were wrong then. We’re focused on making our fans proud by playing great as a team and building a brand of basketball that’s tough and gritty.”
  • Lakers officials, including president Rob Pelinka, paid a visit to five-time All-NBA guard Luka Doncic in Poland prior to the EuroBasket tournament this week, writes BasketNews. Doncic is plying his trade for his native Slovenia. Pelinka praised Doncic’s improved fitness this summer while addressing reporters, per BasketNews. “He’s in great shape, really committed to working hard this summer,” Pelinka told reporters. “And to be able to watch that in person was worth flying over the ocean to be with him.”
  • Doncic affirmed his long-term interest in suiting up for Slovenia during the summers, while Pelinka seemingly endorsed that approach, according to Dan Woike of The Athletic. “It’s an easy choice,” Doncic said. “I always want to represent my country. Always did. No matter what. Obviously, if I’m injured, I’m not gonna play, but if I have nothing, I will always play.” Doncic has won EuroBasket before, beating Bogdan Bogdanovic‘s Serbia, 93-85, in 2017. During Doncic’s most recent EuroBasket run, in 2022, Poland upset Slovenia in the quarterfinal round. “We just wanted to make a statement to Luka that we support what he does for his country,” Pelinka said. “That’s really important to the Lakers when we have a player that’s the face of our franchise, just to show that support for him.”
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Nuggets Notes: Jokic, Kroenke, Newcomers, Akinjo

By | at August 27, 2025 3:52 pm

Nuggets vice chairman and president Josh Kroenke was sitting courtside on Wednesday for Serbia’s first game of EuroBasket 2025 against Estonia, per Edvinas Jablonskis of BasketNews.com. Kroenke is the latest Nuggets executive to visit Nikola Jokic in Riga, Latvia this week, joining vice president of basketball operations Ben Tenzer and executive VP of player personnel Jon Wallace (story via BasketNews.com).

The three-time MVP treated the Nuggets’ contingent to a show, leading the way as Serbia rolled to a 98-64 blowout victory over the Estonians.

Jokic scored just 11 points, but was a +39 in 23 minutes of action and also contributed 10 rebounds and seven assists. He and the Serbians will be back in action on Friday when they face Portugal in the second matchup of the group-play stage of EuroBasket.

Here’s more on the Nuggets:

  • John Schuhmann of NBA.com expects Cameron Johnson and Bruce Brown to be defensive upgrades on Michael Porter Jr. and Russell Westbrook for the Nuggets and takes a closer look at some film to explore what sort of impact the newcomers could have. As Schuhmann notes, Denver ranked just 21st in defensive rating last season after placing eighth in 2023/24.
  • The Nuggets’ G League affiliate, the Grand Rapids Gold, completed a trade with the Wisconsin Herd, acquiring James Akinjo‘s returning rights in exchange for the rights to Will Richardson and a 2026 first-round pick (Twitter link). The deal suggests that Akinjo, a former Baylor point guard who has played in the G League since going undrafted in 2022, is a good candidate to sign an Exhibit 10 contract with Denver at some point before the season begins.
  • In case you missed it, we published our list of 2026 free agents by team on Tuesday. The Nuggets have nine players – six on the standard roster and three two-ways – who could reach free agency next summer.
4 comments Denver Nuggets International NBA G League

28 Current NBA Players Competing In FIBA EuroBasket 2025

By | at August 27, 2025 7:07 am

On the heels of the FIBA World Cup in 2023 and the Paris Olympics in 2024, the 2025 NBA offseason doesn’t feature a major international tournament in which the United States’ top stars are competing.

However, several of the league’s biggest names – including three-time Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic, two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, and five-time All-NBA first-teamer Luka Doncic – are taking part in FIBA EuroBasket 2025, which tipped off on Wednesday.

The tournament, also known as the European Basketball Championship, takes place every four years and features 24 European countries vying for a gold medal. The 24 teams who qualified for EuroBasket are split up into four groups and will face the other teams in their group across five games from August 27 to September 4.

At the end of group play, the top four teams from each group will advance to the knockout round, which is a single-elimination tournament featuring the remaining 16 countries.

By our count, 28 active NBA players are taking part in EuroBasket 2025, along with 30 former NBA players and several more who were selected in an NBA draft but have yet to play in the league.

Here’s the full list of current and former NBA players set to compete in EuroBasket, sorted by group and country:

Group A

Czechia (Czech Republic)

  • Current NBA players: Vit Krejci (Hawks)
  • Former NBA players: None

Estonia

  • Current NBA players: None
  • Former NBA players: Henri Drell

Latvia

Portugal

  • Current NBA players: Neemias Queta (Celtics)
  • Former NBA players: None

Serbia

Serbia’s roster also includes Nikola Milutinov and Vanja Marinkovic, who are former NBA draft picks but have never played in the league.

Turkey

Group B

Finland

Germany

Great Britain

Lithuania

Lithuania’s roster also includes Rokas Jokubaitis, a former NBA draft pick who has never played in the league, and Azuolas Tubelis, who was on a two-way contract with the Sixers during the 2023 offseason but was waived before the season began.

Montenegro

Sweden

  • Current NBA players: Pelle Larsson (Heat)
  • Former NBA players: None

Group C

Bosnia and Herzegovina

  • Current NBA players: Jusuf Nurkic (Jazz)
  • Former NBA players: None

Cyprus

  • Current NBA players: None
  • Former NBA players: None

Georgia

Greece

Italy

Italy’s roster also includes Matteo Spagnolo, Gabriele Procida, and Saliou Niang, who are former NBA draft picks but have never played in the league.

Spain

Group D

Belgium

  • Current NBA players: None
  • Former NBA players: None

France

France’s roster also includes Isaia Cordinier, a former NBA draft pick who has never played in the league.

Iceland

  • Current NBA players: None
  • Former NBA players: None

Israel

  • Current NBA players: Deni Avdija (Trail Blazers)
  • Former NBA players: None

Israel’s roster also includes Yam Madar, a former NBA draft pick who has never played in the league.

Poland

  • Current NBA players: None
  • Former NBA players: Jordan Loyd

Slovenia

  • Current NBA players: Luka Doncic (Lakers)
  • Former NBA players: None
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EuroBasket Notes: Cyprus, Players To Watch, Celtics, Heat, Top Matchups

By | at August 26, 2025 1:01 pm

Cyprus, which will be competing in EuroBasket for the first time ever this year, announced its 12-man roster for the event on Monday, as FIBA relays. Cyprus’ national team doesn’t feature any current or former NBA players, but the group includes former Wichita State big man Darral Willis, up-and-coming point guard Filippos Tigkas, and sharpshooter Konstantinos Simitzis, who was the squad’s leading scorer in the qualifiers.

Competing in Group C, Cyprus will begin its group-play games on Thursday against Bosnia and Herzegovina before taking on Greece, Spain, Georgia, and Italy.

Here’s more on EuroBasket 2025, which will tip off on Wednesday:

2 comments Boston Celtics International Miami Heat Orlando Magic

And-Ones: ESPN Panel, Top SGs, Lundberg, Hayes-Davis

By | at August 25, 2025 6:18 pm

The Spurs and Hawks are considered the co-favorites to make the biggest leap in the NBA during the upcoming season, according to a panel of ESPN Insiders.

The panel made its predictions on a wide variety of topics, including the team most likely to make a big move before the trade deadline (the Warriors received the most votes) and the next superstar to request a trade (Zion Williamson was the top vote-getter).

Here’s more from around the international basketball world:

  • Anthony Edwards tops the list of shooting guards ranked by The Athletic’s Zach Harper. Devin Booker and Donovan Mitchell fill out tier one — players who are potential MVP candidates — in “The Bounce’s Top 40 Shooting Guards.” Desmond Bane, Klay Thompson, Bradley Beal and Zach LaVine comprised the second tier as players “who can take over” a game.
  • Gabriel ‘Iffe’ Lundberg won’t return to Serbia’s Partizan Belgrade, according to Sportando. The Danish guard, according to a TeleSport report, has drawn interest from both Zenit St. Petersburg and Olympiacos. Lundberg had a brief stay in the NBA, playing four games with Phoenix during the 2021/22 season.
  • Tel Aviv’s owner Ofer Yannay had a verbal agreement this offseason with Nigel Hayes-Davis in the event that the free agent forward couldn’t find an NBA contract. Hayes-Davis, who played in Turkey last season, wound up signing a one-year deal with the Suns. “We were sure we were bringing Nigel Hayes-Davis. We were sure it was happening. He had an option to go to the NBA, and he basically said, ‘I’ll try to get a contract in the NBA, and if I don’t, I’ll come to you,’” Yannay said, per Eurohoops.net.
6 comments Atlanta Hawks Golden State Warriors International Phoenix Suns San Antonio Spurs

EuroBasket Notes: Wagner, Giannis, Risacher, Doncic

By | at August 25, 2025 2:59 pm

Germany made a huge statement by going unbeaten on its way to the 2023 FIBA World Cup title, and a win at EuroBasket would cement its status as an international basketball power. Magic forward Franz Wagner talked to reporters, including Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops, about what another major championship would mean for his nation’s basketball program.

“It would be a massive achievement,” Wagner said. “I think winning anything is super difficult. I think winning something for your country, obviously, is super special. We felt that two years ago, and we’re doing everything we can to have that feeling again and bring home a gold medal for your country.”

Germany is a huge favorite to advance out of Group B, which also includes Great Britain, Lithuania, Sweden, Montenegro and host Finland. The pressure ratchets up in the knockout stage, with single-elimination games being played from September 6-14 in Riga, Latvia.

“I think every do-or-die game, and especially national team games, when you play for your country, and especially when the time you have with the team is kind of short or way shorter than during a season with a team, I think those games are always super physical and every player is putting it all out there,” Wagner said.

On the tournament format, he added, “I think that’s what makes those games super fun to play and hopefully fun to watch as well.”

There’s more from EuroBasket:

  • Rival players are raving about the impact that Giannis Antetokounmpo has for Greece, according to a story on the FIBA website. Willy Hernangomez says the Bucks star “tries to destroy everyone in front of him,” and Spanish teammate Santi Aldama claims Antetokounmpo takes his intensity to a different level when he’s part of the Greek national team. “He always talks about how he plays hard every single day,” Aldama said. “And seeing an MVP-level player play as hard as he does every day … and him having the pride to play for his country every summer you can see it’s different when he plays for his country. And he takes a lot of pride in playing for his country.”
  • In an interview with Christos Tsaltas of Athletiko, Zaccharie Risacher talks about the things he learned during his rookie season with the Hawks that have made him a better player. Risacher may need to take on a larger role for France with several important teammates unavailable, and he said he’s willing to do whatever is asked of him. “I want to contribute to my team so that it wins as many games as it can and contribute in any way I can,” Risacher said. “With defense, with scoring, with rebounds. I’m a versatile player and I have to make sure I’ve adapted and I can do the right thing and make the right phase at the right time to help as much as I can.”
  • Lakers star Luka Doncic delivered a fiery locker room speech after Slovenia lost to Serbia by 34 points in an exhibition game, relays BasketNews. “I don’t like to talk about what’s going on in the team. Yes, we had a conversation,” teammate Edo Muric said. “We cleared up a lot of things and said what needed to be said. This defeat actually brought us even closer.”
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Guerschon Yabusele Discusses Signing With Knicks, Hopes For EuroBasket

By | at August 25, 2025 1:41 pm

Guerschon Yabusele got a nice raise when he signed a two-year, $11.7MM contract with the Knicks this summer, but he was also motivated by the chance to play in New York City. Yabusele discussed his free agency decision, France’s EuroBasket prospects, and a few other topics in an interview with Giorgos Kyriakidis of BasketNews.

“First of all, you can tell that they have a special bonding between each other,” he said of his new Knicks teammates. “When they go on the court together, it’s like they try to kill the other team. They know each other pretty well. They made it so far this year in the playoffs, but year after year, you can just see their progress. So, for me, it was just natural, because I wanted to be part of this. It’s one of the toughest crowds, people know it. So, to be able to go there and be part of this is just something special.”

A year ago, NBA personnel were buzzing about Yabusele’s performance in the Summer Olympics, where he helped the host French team reach the gold medal game. He eventually signed a one-year minimum contract with Philadelphia in the hopes of proving that he could still be an NBA player after five years in Europe.

Yabusele wound up being a steady contributor for a Sixers team that was torn apart by injuries. He averaged 11.0 points and 5.6 rebounds in 70 games and became a target for several teams on the free agent market.

Yabusele believes his attitude toward the game was instrumental in making his NBA comeback successful.

“I would say, first of all, the energy,” he said. “People love the energy that I bring on the court – ‘dying’ for the ball, diving for the ball. Just fight through it for 48 minutes. It doesn’t matter who win or lose, just keep the same motivation and make people enjoy the game.”

Returning to the NBA last season was somewhat of a financial gamble, as Yabusele had one year left on his Real Madrid contract with a $2.5MM buyout. The Sixers were only permitted to contribute $850K of that amount, so Yabusele decided to pay the rest himself instead of waiting another year to become a free agent.

“As a young kid, going to the NBA was a dream,” he explained. “So, I wanted to go back and make sure I had a chance to explore and play.”

EuroBasket, which starts Wednesday, will be Yabusele’s first international competition since last year’s Olympics. France is perennially one of the top powers on the world stage, but the team will be shorthanded with Victor Wembanyama, Rudy Gobert, Mathias Lessort and Vincent Poirier all unavailable.

Yabusele, who serves as captain, would love to bring home a gold medal after coming close so many times. During his tenure, the French have captured silver in the past two Olympics and were runners-up at EuroBasket 2022.

“A gold medal with France would be special,” he said. “I’ve been playing with the team for years, and every time we get silver. So I think gold would be the next goal for us. But, of course, winning an NBA championship is also something special. I’ve never been part of something like that. Both would feel great.”

1 comment International New York Knicks

Estonia, Great Britain, Belgium Finalize EuroBasket Rosters

By | at August 25, 2025 12:20 pm

With EuroBasket set to tip off on Wednesday, three more nations have announced their 12-man rosters for the tournament.

Former NBA small forward Henri Drell leads the way for Estonia. Drell appeared in four games with Chicago on a two-way contract during the 2023/24 season, posting 11 points, three rebounds and four assists in 30 total minutes. He spent last season with Portland’s G League affiliate, the Rip City Remix, and moved on to Spain’s La Laguna Tenerife in March.

Other members of the Estonian roster are Märt Rosenthal, Sander Raieste, Kaspar Treier, Mikk Jurkatamm, Matthias Tass, Siim-Sander Vene, Kregor Hermet, Janari Jõesaar, Joonas Riismaa, Artur Konontšuk and Kristian Kullamäe.

Estonia is in Group A with Portugal, Turkey, Serbia, the Czech Republic and host Latvia.

Center Gabe Olaseni, a star in Turkey’s Basketball Super League, is the top player for Great Britain, whose roster was announced on the FIBA website. Also on the roster are Amin Adamu, Dan Akin, Jubrile Belo, Myles Hesson, Luke Nelson, Tarik Phillip, Josh Ward-Hibbert, Jelani Watson-Gayle, Pat Whelan, Carl Wheatle and Akwasi Yeboah.

Great Britain has never advanced past group play in six previous EuroBasket appearances. They’re in Group B with Germany, Lithuania, Sweden, Montenegro and host Finland.

Belgium also doesn’t feature any players with NBA experience, as its official roster includes Ismael Bako, Mamadou Guisse, Manu Lecomte, Siebe Ledegen, Joppe Mennes, Jean-Marc Mwema, Loic Schwartz, Godwin Tshimanga, Kevin Tumba, Niels Van Den Eynde, Andy Van Vliet and Hans Vanwijn.

The Belgians will be looking for their first medal in their 19th EuroBasket appearance. Their best finish was fourth in 1947.

Belgium is in Group D with France, Iceland, Slovenia, Israel and host Poland.

As of Monday morning, Cyprus, Georgia and Italy are the only participants in the 24-team tournament who haven’t announced their final rosters.

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