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Northwest Notes: Clarkson, Sexton, Lillard, J. Williams, More

March 17th, 2023 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson, who has missed the team’s last four games due to a finger injury, was a partial participant in Thursday’s practice and participated fully in Friday’s practice (Twitter links via Eric Walden and Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune). It remains to be seen whether or not Clarkson will be active when Utah hosts the Celtics on Saturday, but it appears he’s nearing a return.

The news isn’t as promising for Collin Sexton, who hasn’t played since February 15 due to a left hamstring strain. According to Walden, Sexton is progressing, but won’t be reevaluated until next week, so he’ll miss at least a few more games.

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

  • Chris Haynes said in the latest episode of the #thisleague UNCUT podcast that he believes the Trail Blazers may shut down Damian Lillard for the rest of the season if they don’t make up ground in the standings over the next five or six games (hat tip to RealGM). While that sounds like speculation, Haynes is pretty plugged-in on Lillard-related matters.
  • Thunder wing Jalen Williams has climbed to second place in The Athetic’s rookie rankings and is showing legitimate star potential, according to Sam Vecenie. Williams has helped keep Oklahoma City in the playoff race by averaging 19.9 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 4.4 APG, and 2.2 SPG on .563/.467/.873 shooting in his last 15 contests (33.5 MPG).
  • A spokesperson for Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore told Josh Kosman of The New York Post this week that the duo is prepared to buy another 20% of the Timberwolves. “The money is in the bank and ready to be funded today,” the spokesperson said. There were reportedly some concerns in 2022 about A-Rod’s liquidity and some speculation that the plan for Rodriguez and Lore to assume majority control of the Wolves could be in trouble, but it remains on track. When they officially make this month’s payment, Rodriguez and Lore will control 40% of the Wolves — the plan is for them to exercise their option to increase their stake in the franchise to 80% by the end of 2023.
  • Nuggets rookie Christian Braun saw his minutes reduced during a stretch of games in late February and early March, but has been back in the rotation this week. Head coach Michael Malone said it’s been hard to keep Braun off the floor, since he has a knack for making “winning play after winning play,” writes Mike Singer of The Denver Post. “He’s playing with confidence,” Malone said. “He’s running the floor, rebounding, making the most of his opportunity, not getting frustrated when he’s out of the game. We need him to continue to do that and be ready for the playoffs.”
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Northwest Notes: J. Williams, Simons, KCP, McDaniels, Jazz

March 3rd, 2023 at 12:58pm CST by Luke Adams

The Thunder entered last year’s draft determined to come away with both Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst (Insider link), who takes a look back at how the team ensured it ended up with Williams late in the lottery. According to Windhorst, the Thunder were concerned that their interest in Williams had gotten out and that a team would trade for the Knicks’ pick at No. 11 to nab the Santa Clara star before Oklahoma City could take him at No. 12.

As Windhorst explains, the Thunder ultimately agreed to acquire the No. 11 pick from New York and used it to select Ousmane Dieng, then drafted Williams with their own pick at No. 12 — that way, if the deal with the Knicks fell through before becoming official, they’d still be assured of having Williams.

Williams is enjoying a strong rookie season for the Thunder, starting 45 of 58 games and averaging 12.8 PPG, 4.2 RPG, and 3.1 APG while shooting 51.1% from the floor.

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

  • After being sidelined due to a right ankle sprain, Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons returned to action on Wednesday, but he aggravated the injury in his first game back and said that he doubted he’d be able to play in Atlanta on Friday, per Jason Quick of The Athletic (Twitter link). Simons has since been ruled out for tonight’s game (Twitter link).
  • Nuggets wing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has been “exactly what we needed,” according to head coach Michael Malone, who added that KCP is a “great two-way player” and said there’s “nothing not to love” about him. In a subscriber-only story for The Denver Post, Mike Singer looks at how the Nuggets have been impacted by Caldwell-Pope, whose teammates call him “First Team” (referencing his case for an All-Defensive spot).
  • Speaking of All-Defensive candidates, Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels is making a strong case for consideration, says Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. McDaniels has said he likes “locking someone up” on defense more than hitting a big shot. “I know I’m going to make shots throughout the game, but stopping someone else from scoring when that’s what they like to do, I like messing peoples’ night up. Just trying to do that,” he said.
  • Are the Jazz in officially in tank mode? Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune explored that question following Tuesday’s loss to San Antonio, arguing that Utah’s injury report and rotation decisions certainly suggested the team wasn’t going all-out to win.
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Northwest Notes: Westbrook, Williams, Hyland, Nuggets Bench

February 17th, 2023 at 10:19pm CST by Rory Maher

Tony Jones of The Athletic believes it’s “very, very unlikely” that Russell Westbrook will ever play a game for the Jazz, noting that the veteran guard wouldn’t receive much playing time as the team prioritizes its younger players (Twitter links).

According to Jones, the two most likely scenarios for Westbrook are securing a buyout if he finds a situation he likes, or remaining on Utah’s roster but away from the team.

While that’s hardly surprising news, it’s still noteworthy that Westbrook might finish the season not actively playing. On the other hand, if he joins another team and things go awry, that could hurt his value ahead of free agency.

The 2016/17 MVP has made over $300MM in his career, so it’s not like he needs more money, but it’s a lot easier for a team to move on from a player who isn’t making much money than one who is. It’s a tricky balance to strike for a decorated player who was often criticized (sometimes unfairly) on his last team.

Here’s more from the Northwest:

  • Thunder swingman Jalen Williams has flown under the radar a bit in ’22/23, but he’s having an outstanding rookie season, averaging 12.2 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 2.9 APG and 1.2 SPG on .508/.324/.759 shooting. He recently spoke to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype about a number of topics, sharing an amusing story about how he first met head coach Mark Daigneault.
  • Bones Hyland was traded to the Clippers last week after a rocky end to his Nuggets tenure. The second-year guard explained that he had “great communication” with Denver’s front office, but not so much with the coaching staff. “Yeah, I feel like it could’ve been done better on both ends,” Hyland said, per Mike Singer of The Denver Post (subscriber link). “Just more communication. I’ve got so much love for Denver, but I just feel like the communication was just so low. I had a lot of mixed emotions, and we didn’t come together and just make it better.”
  • Nuggets head coach Michael Malone suggested he’s going to run a five-man bench lineup of Reggie Jackson, Bruce Brown, Christian Braun, Vlatko Cancar and Thomas Bryant once Jackson is activated after the All-Star break, tweets Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports. A notable omission from that group is veteran forward Jeff Green, who has consistently been in the rotation when healthy and scored a season-high 24 points in Wednesday’s victory over Dallas. Malone has tweaked the bench rotation multiple times this season, however, so it wouldn’t be surprising if that five-man group changes over time.
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NBA Announces Player Pool For Rising Stars Event

January 31st, 2023 at 1:22pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA officially unveiled the 28-player pool for this year’s Rising Stars event on Tuesday, making the announcement via the NBA App. The following players made the cut:

Rookies:

Sophomores:

G League players:

As was the case last season, the Rising Stars event will consist of four teams and three games. The seven G League players will comprise one team, coached by longtime NBA guard Jason Terry. The other 21 players will be drafted to three squads coached by former NBA stars Pau Gasol, Joakim Noah, and Deron Williams.

The four teams will be split into two first-round matchups and the winners of those two games will face one another for the Rising Stars championship. The two semifinals will be played to a target score of 40 points, while the final will be played to a target score of 25 points.

All three contests will take place on Friday, February 17 as part of All-Star weekend in Salt Lake City. The NBA’s full press release with more information on the event can be found right here.

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And-Ones: Campazzo, Vildoza, Two-Ways, Rookies

January 4th, 2023 at 10:04am CST by Luke Adams

Serbian team Crvena Zvezda has been sanctioned by the EuroLeague for overdue payments to players and will be prohibited from registering new players until February 28, per BasketNews.com.

That means that former Nuggets and Mavericks point guard Facundo Campazzo, who reached a contract agreement with the team after being waived by Dallas, may not be able to suit up in EuroLeague games until March.

Crvena Zvezda issued a statement calling the sanctions “extremely severe” and announcing that they intend to fight them (link via BasketNews).

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

  • Argentinian guard Luca Vildoza, currently a member of Crvena Zvezda, spent time with the Knicks and Bucks from 2021-22, but injuries and timing prevented him from ever getting a real chance to earn a rotation spot. While Vildoza has some good memories from his time in the NBA, including practicing with Giannis Antetokounmpo, he’s disappointed that things didn’t work out for him stateside. “It’s painful that I didn’t have the right chance,” Vildoza said (link via Eurohoops). “But I’m here now, and I try not to think about it.”
  • NBA teams seem more inclined this season to use their two-way contract slots to churn through back-of-the-roster players, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Insider link), who notes that the Heat have signed five different players to seven total two-way deals since July. That trend may continue even when the 10-day contract signing period opens on Thursday, since two-way players don’t count against the cap or tax, Marks writes.
  • In the latest update to his rookie rankings for 2022/23, Sam Vecenie of The Athletic has moved Thunder guard Jalen Williams and Hawks forward AJ Griffin into third and fourth place, respectively. Both players are providing relatively steady and efficient production as starting wings, Vecenie says, adding that Griffin’s floor spacing, in particular, has been crucial in Atlanta.
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Bennedict Mathurin, Jalen Williams Named Rookies Of The Month

December 1st, 2022 at 2:47pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Pacers reserve swingman Bennedict Mathurin and Thunder wing Jalen Williams have been voted the Eastern and Western Conference Rookies of the Month for October and November, the league announced (Twitter link). Since the 2022/23 regular season only got underway in late October, the partial month was folded into November in this instance.

Drafted with the sixth pick out of Arizona, the 6’6″ Mathurin is averaging 19.2 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 1.5 APG and 0.6 SPG in 28 MPG off the bench for the 12-9 Pacers.

Williams, the No. 12 selection out of Santa Clara, is averaging 10.7 PPG on 52.4% field goal shooting, along with 3.2 RPG and 2.6 APG for a solid 9-13 Oklahoma City squad.

The NBA adds (via Twitter) that Rockets power forwards Tari Eason and Jabari Smith Jr., Kings power forward Keegan Murray, Trail Blazers rookie guard Shaedon Sharpe, Magic big man Paolo Banchero, Hawks wing AJ Griffin, Pistons guard Jaden Ivey, and Mathurin’s Indiana teammate Andrew Nembhard were also nominees for the honor.

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Thunder’s Jalen Williams Undergoes Surgery For Orbital Bone Fracture

October 21st, 2022 at 1:32pm CST by Luke Adams

Thunder rookie Jalen Williams has undergone surgery to address a right orbital bone fracture, the team announced today in a press release.

Williams sustained the injury in Oklahoma City’s season opener on Wednesday when he took an inadvertent elbow to the face from Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels.

According to the Thunder, Williams will be reevaluated in approximately seven-to-10 days, so he’ll miss at least the next few games on OKC’s schedule.

The 12th overall pick in this year’s draft, Williams had scored five points in six minutes in his NBA regular season debut on Wednesday before going down with the injury.

While Williams’ exact recovery timeline is unknown, the injury shouldn’t be a long-term concern in the same way that an issue related to an ankle or knee might be. However, I imagine he’ll probably have to temporarily don a mask to protect his face when he returns to action.

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Northwest Notes: Jazz, Barrett, Edwards, Holmgren, Thunder

September 1st, 2022 at 7:58am CST by Luke Adams

Some teams with interest in Knicks forward RJ Barrett believe they’d have a chance to land him if the Jazz were to acquire him in a Donovan Mitchell trade, according to Ian Begley of SNY.tv. As Begley explains, while the Jazz are thought to like Barrett, there’s a belief that they’d be open to the idea of flipping him for additional first-round picks if he were included as part of a package for Mitchell.

The Jazz’s potential plans for Barrett may be a moot point. Now that the former No. 3 overall pick has agreed to a four-year extension with the Knicks, the poison pill provision will complicate efforts to include him in any Mitchell trade — the Jazz could still theoretically acquire him, but a third team with cap room may need to get involved to make the salary-matching math work, as ESPN’s Bobby Marks noted in a video segment earlier this week.

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

  • The Timberwolves‘ trade for Rudy Gobert showed that the team is ready to take the next step toward title contention, and the work that Anthony Edwards has been putting in this offseason shows that he’s positioning himself to make a third-year leap to stardom, writes Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. According to Krawczynski, people who have been watching Edwards’ workouts this offseason have all been saying some variation of, “Just wait ’til you see him.”
  • The foot injury that ended Chet Holmgren‘s rookie season before it began probably won’t have a major impact on the Thunder‘s place in the 2022/23 standings, but it will significantly diminish the buzz surrounding the team in Oklahoma City, writes Jenni Carlson of The Oklahoman. As Carlson writes, many Thunder fans that had been excited to watch Holmgren play are less likely to follow the club closely this year.
  • In a subscriber-only story for Daily Thunder, Josh Haar identifies Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Jalen Williams, and Aaron Wiggins as three candidates to earn bigger-than-expected roles for the Thunder with Holmgren sidelined.
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Thunder Sign Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams To Rookie Deals

July 1st, 2022 at 9:30pm CST by Rory Maher

The Thunder have signed a couple of their first-round draft picks, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams, according to NBA.com’s official transactions log.

Holmgren was the second pick of the draft after spending one season with Gonzaga. In 32 games (26.9 MPG) for the Bulldogs, the 7’0″ Holmgren averaged 14.1 PPG, 9.9 RPG and 3.7 BPG on .607/.390/.717 shooting.

Williams was the 12th pick of the draft after three seasons with Santa Clara. In 33 games (34.8 MPG) as a junior for the Broncos, the 6’6″ wing averaged 18 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 4.2 APG and 1.2 SPG on .513/.396/.809 shooting.

Oklahoma City has been in rebuilding mode for a couple of seasons now, but the influx of young talent should help accelerate the team’s progression. Holmgren was considered the top prospect in the draft by many talent evaluators, while Williams was a draft riser after strong athletic testing numbers and standout scrimmage performances at the combine in Chicago last month.

Assuming Holmgren and Williams sign for 120% of the rookie scale, which virtually every first-rounder does, they’ll be in line for first-year salaries of $9.89MM and $4.34MM, respectively.

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Central Notes: Cavs, Williams, Sotto, Pacers, Pistons

June 19th, 2022 at 3:59pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

As a solid two-way perimeter player with exciting defensive upside, 6’6″ Santa Clara wing Jalen Williams could serve as an ideal fit for the Cavaliers, opines Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. Cleveland has the No. 14 pick in this week’s draft.

During the 2021/22 season, the 21-year-old averaged 18.0 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 4.2 APG and 1.2 SPG, with shooting splits of .513/.396/.809. Fedor notes that Williams is a high-level playmaker, having begun his prep career as a point guard before an eight-inch growth spurt in between his sophomore season of high school and his freshman season at Santa Clara. The First-Team All-West Coast Conference shooting guard/small forward boasts a 7’2″ wingspan and posted a 33.5″ standing vertical.

“He is the biggest riser in this process – and rightfully so,” a league executive said of Williams. “The more I watch, the more I like him. Plug-and-play guy. Can crack a rotation immediately. I think he’s a top 20 guy in this year’s draft.”

There’s more out of the Central Division:

  • 7’2″ Adelaide 36ers center Kai Sotto is set to work out for the Pacers on Tuesday, according to Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com, who tweets that Sotto has recovered from a sprained ankle. In 23 contests in Australia’s National Basketball League in 2021/22, the 20-year-old big man averaged 7.5 PPG, 4.5 RPG and 0.8 BPG. Sotto was voted as the 2022 NBL Fans MVP.
  • With the fifth pick of the 2022 draft in hand, the Pistons are exploring the fit of several potential draft picks, writes Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press. Detroit is looking to build around 2022 All-Rookie first team point guard Cade Cunningham, the first pick in the 2021 draft.
  • In case you missed it, Bucks reserve forward Thanasis Antetokounmpo, older brother of 2021 Finals MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, has opted to exercise his $1.8MM player option for the 2022/23 NBA season with Milwaukee. Across 48 games this season, the 6’6″ forward averaged 3.6 PPG and 2.1 RPG across 9.9 MPG.
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