Stephen Curry Named 2024/25 Teammate Of The Year
Warriors star Stephen Curry has been named the NBA’s Teammate of the Year for the 2024/25 season, the league announced today (via Twitter).
The Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year award “recognizes the player deemed the best teammate based on selfless play, leadership as a mentor and role model to other NBA players, and commitment to his team,” per the NBA.
The award isn’t voted on by media members. A panel of league executives select the 12 finalists (six from each conference) for the award, while current players vote on the winner. Players receive 10 points for a first place vote, seven for second, five for third, three for fourth, and one point for fifth place.
Curry just narrowly won this season’s vote ahead of Rockets center Steven Adams.
Here are this season’s full voting results, according to the NBA, with the player’s point total noted in parentheses:
- Stephen Curry, Warriors (1,257)
- Steven Adams, Rockets (1,237)
- Jalen Brunson, Knicks (925)
- DeAndre Jordan, Nuggets (897)
- Nicolas Batum, Clippers (868)
- Donovan Mitchell, Cavaliers (850)
- Al Horford, Celtics (834)
- James Johnson, Pacers (751)
- Jaylin Williams, Thunder (690)
- Brook Lopez, Bucks (657)
- Tobias Harris, Pistons (648)
- Jaren Jackson Jr., Grizzlies (552)
It’s the first Teammate of the Year award for Curry, though it’s the seventh time in a row that a point guard has earned the honor.
The award, which was introduced in ’12/13, had gone to either Mike Conley (2019 and 2024) or Jrue Holiday (2020, 2022, and 2023) in five of the past six seasons, with Damian Lillard claiming it in 2021.
Grizzlies’ Kleiman: We Should Have Picked Up LaRavia’s Option
Before the 2024/25 season began last fall, the Grizzlies declined to exercise their fourth-year team option on forward Jake LaRavia. That 2025/26 option was worth $5,163,127.
Because his option was declined, LaRavia is now on track for unrestricted free agency in 2025 instead of restricted free agency in 2026. It also made his free agency more complicated than it is for most players — the team he ended the season with cannot offer him a starting salary that exceeds the declined option.
With those factors in mind, the Grizzlies wound up trading LaRavia to Sacramento ahead of February’s deadline, even though he was having his most productive campaign as a pro.
At his end-of-season press conference on Sunday, executive vice president of basketball operations Zach Kleiman admitted he made a “mistake” by turning down that option, tweets Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal.
“I think we should’ve picked up Jake LaRavia’s team option,” Kleiman said. “The mistake was there. … I think Jake could’ve helped us down the stretch.”
According to Cole (Twitter link), Kleiman explained that he thought Vince Williams Jr. and GG Jackson would be able to replace LaRavia in the rotation. Both players dealt with injuries in the first few months of the season and returned to action before the deadline.
“I probably overweighted just how much of a burden they would have been able to put on in a playoff push,” Kleiman said.
Memphis was eliminated from the playoffs on Saturday after being swept in its first-round series with Oklahoma City.
Duke’s Khaman Maluach Declares For NBA Draft
Duke freshman Khaman Maluach declared for the 2025 NBA draft prior to Saturday’s early entrant deadline, the school announced (via Twitter).
A 7’2″ center from South Sudan, Maluach averaged 8.6 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 21.2 minutes per game while shooting 71.2% from the field and 76.6% from the line across 39 appearances for the Blue Devils in 2024/25. He is a projected lottery pick, coming in at No. 8 on ESPN’s latest big board (subscriber link).
Maluach won’t turn 19 years old until September, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony notes, making him one of the youngest players in the class. Maluach has a strong motor, is quite mobile for his size, and is viewed as having a great deal of long-term upside, according to Givony.
Tuomas Iisalo Would Like To Become Grizzlies’ Permanent Head Coach
Tuomas Iisalo expressed interest in remaining head coach of the Grizzlies, but he understands that it won’t be his decision to make, writes Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal (subscription required). Iisalo was asked about his future after Memphis’ season ended today with a first-round sweep by Oklahoma City.
“I don’t have any thoughts on that subject,” Iisalo responded. “. . . I tried to do my best in those (games). Those decisions are for somebody else in the future. Do I want to be permanent head coach? Yes, why not.”
Iisalo was selected to run the team on an interim basis following the surprise firing of Taylor Jenkins in late March with nine games left on the schedule. He guided the Grizzlies to a 4-5 record to close out the regular season, then lost to Golden State in the play-in tournament before beating Dallas to earn the No. 8 seed.
Iisalo, 42, coached for nearly a decade in Europe before Memphis hired him last summer to run the offense when the front office restructured Jenkins’ coaching staff by replacing five assistants. General manager Zach Kleiman didn’t indicate whether Iisalo would be a candidate for the job on a permanent basis when he spoke to reporters last month.
There’s more from Memphis:
- The Grizzlies still have confidence in Desmond Bane, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Ja Morant to be the foundation of the team, according to Cole, but their lack of postseason success is concerning. Cole points out that they’ve only won a single playoff series in their five years together, and they will continue to get more expensive when Jackson becomes eligible for a contract extension this summer.
- Rookie center Zach Edey and third-year point guard Scotty Pippen Jr. were pleasant surprises throughout the season and both had strong playoff performances, Cole adds. Edey emerged as the team’s best rebounder and screen setter, while Pippen scored 28 and 30 points in the final two games against OKC. “I’ve been very encouraged by Zach’s improvement, from the first game on,” Iisalo said. “He felt a little overwhelmed with the tempo and the physicality of the game, but then game-by-game he was improving and (made an) impact in improving on both ends. Scotty in (Game 3), especially (at the) beginning, was tremendous. He’s been doing those things for a while now, and (it’s) especially great to see the consistency.”
- Cole doesn’t expect unrestricted free agents Luke Kennard, Marvin Bagley and Lamar Stevens to return next season, but he believes restricted free agent Santi Aldama will be re-signed. Aldama, a 24-year-old power forward, is coming off his best NBA season, averaging 12.5 points and 6.4 rebounds in 65 games.
Bucks’ Lineup Change Sets Up Career Night For Gary Trent Jr.
After his starters were outplayed by the Pacers in the first two games of their first-round series, Bucks head coach Doc Rivers told reporters he was mulling a lineup change. He made good on that assertion on Friday by removing Taurean Prince from his starting five and replacing him with Gary Trent Jr.
The lineup tweak helped fuel a big night for the Bucks and Trent, who matched teammate Giannis Antetokounmpo with a game-high 37 points on 11-of-16 shooting, including 9-of-12 three-pointers. Trent also served as the primary defender against Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton.
After Milwaukee finished off a 117-101 victory to trim Indiana’s series lead to 2-1, Bucks head coach Doc Rivers explained why he believed starting Trent made sense.
“We wanted somebody aggressive to attack Haliburton back,” Rivers said, per Eric Nehm of The Athletic. “I thought he did that. I thought that was great for us. And I like his defense on the ball. So there were two reasons. The offensive part, because he’s really aggressive. And the defensive part, because of his hands and just how aggressive he is there, he picked the ball up. I thought it was the first time in the series that we applied pressure to the ball and I thought that made a big difference.”
Trent’s 37 points weren’t a career high — he topped that number three times during his time as a Raptor, including when he scored 44 against Cleveland in April 2021. But it probably qualifies as the biggest game of his career, given the stakes. His 37 points represented his highest career total in a playoff game, while his nine three-pointers matched both a personal career high and a Bucks postseason record (tying Ray Allen).
For his part, Trent said he benefited from all the defensive attention on his star teammates, Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, which helped create open looks for him and made it easy to aggressively seek out his own shot.
“Obviously, we understand how they’re trying to defend us and who they are trying to guard and take Giannis out and take Dame out,” Trent said. “So there is certain opportunities that may present itself and just knock the shot down.”
Trent, who signed with Milwaukee as a free agent last summer, was coming off a three-year, $52MM deal with Toronto and had a relatively solid year in 2023/24, so it was a bit of a surprise when he had to settle for a one-year, minimum-salary contract. The hope was that he’d get to play a major role for a contending team, rebuilding his value ahead of a return to free agency in 2025.
Trent got off to a slow start last fall, but finished the regular season with a 41.6% mark on 5.9 three-point attempts per game and is now showing that he can be a valuable contributor in the playoffs. Having helped recruit Trent to the Bucks last summer, Lillard said he wasn’t surprised by his teammate’s performance on Friday.
“One thing I told the team when they were trying to get Gary here and I was trying to make that connection and bring him here was I told them this is one of the most confident players that I’ve played with,” Lillard said, according to Nehm. “Unshakeable guy. His confidence is steady. His work ethic is steady. Very stubborn. And he’s a guy that’s not going to fold up when moments come. And he’ll be there.”
Given Friday’s outcome, the Bucks will likely continue to roll with Trent as a starter in Game 4 on Sunday, while Prince – who played just three minutes in Game 3 – remains on the bench. Trent is eager to make the most of his increased role.
“It’s almost like a fulfilling feeling,” he said on Friday, per Jamal Collier of ESPN. “I put in a lot of work, a lot of time, a lot of hours. I sacrifice a lot of things going into this. But again, the cream always rises to the top and continue to keep working and it should showcase itself when the opportunity presents itself.”
Ja Morant To Miss Game 4 Due To Hip Injury
April 26: Morant won’t play on Saturday, interim head coach Tuomas Iisalo confirmed to reporters, including Tim MacMahon of ESPN (Twitter link). Still, Iisalo indicated Morant’s diagnosis could’ve been much worse.
“Fortunately, he’s avoided a major injury, which is a big positive,” he said.
April 25: In addition to missing the second half of Game 3 due to the hip injury, Morant will also be sidelined for Game 4 on Saturday, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
The Grizzlies haven’t officially ruled out Morant yet, but have listed him as doubtful for Saturday’s contest (Twitter link).
April 24: Grizzlies star guard Ja Morant exited the team’s Thursday Game 3 matchup with the Thunder due to a hip injury and was ruled out for the rest of the night, the team announced (via Twitter).
Morant took a hard fall toward the end of the second quarter after he was fouled by Oklahoma City’s Luguentz Dort, Tim MacMahon of ESPN writes. Dort wasn’t called for a flagrant foul on the play (Twitter video link).
The Grizzlies point guard left the game after scoring 15 points and five assists in 16 minutes to help his team take a big lead in Game 3. After being injured, Morant went to the free throw line and shot both attempts before heading back to the locker room. Memphis led by 27 points when he exited.
The Grizzlies were down 2-0 in the series after making the playoffs out of the play-in, and obviously missing Morant for any length of time would be a blow to their already slim hopes of upsetting the team with the best record in the NBA.
With Morant out for the game, Luke Kennard took on a larger role in Game 3, starting the second half in Morant’s place and logging 33 total minutes, his highest total since March 3.
It’s unclear whether or not Morant, who was already dealing with an ankle sprain coming into the playoffs, will be able to suit up for Game 4 of the series on Saturday.
Celtics’ Jaylen Brown Frustrated After Physical Game 3 Against Magic
At least one Celtics player has suffered a minor injury in each of the team’s three playoff games against the Magic so far. As Souichi Terada of MassLive writes, Jayson Tatum sustained a bone bruise in his right wrist in Game 1 that forced him to miss Game 2. In that second game, Kristaps Porzingis received stitches after a cut on his head. And after Friday’s game, Jaylen Brown told reporters that he dislocated his left index finger in Game 3.
Brown said his injury came after a flagrant foul from Cole Anthony, leaving the All-Star frustrated after the Celtics’ first loss of the series.
“There might be a fight break out or something because it’s starting to feel like it’s not even basketball and the refs are not controlling their environment,” Brown said. “So it is what it is. If you want to fight it out, we can do that. We can fight to see who goes to the second round.”
As Terada observes, the Celtics had expected a physical series against Orlando, but it was taken up another level in Game 3 on the Magic’s home court. Turnovers and poor execution led to the Celtics’ loss, though they still maintain a 2-1 series lead.
“I don’t have a problem with the game being physical, but it seems like when I use my physicality, I get called in the opposite direction,” Brown said. “That’s what my frustration was. It was just a tough whistle tonight. Maybe next game will be better, but it started in the third quarter with those two offensive fouls. I feel like the physicality, you are allowing guys to hand check and let it go on both sides then. Other than that, it was just a tough whistle for me tonight and we just got to be ready for Game 4.”
The two teams will square off again on Sunday evening. Tatum was able to return on Friday after missing Game 2, but guard Jrue Holiday was forced to sit out Game 3 due to a hamstring strain.
Heat’s Herro Fires Back At Cavs’ Garland After Jab About Defense
The Cavaliers made it fairly clear based on their offensive strategy in the first two games of their series vs. the Heat that they were targeting a perceived weak link on Miami’s defense. Asked about the Cavs’ game plan after Wednesday’s Game 2 victory, point guard Darius Garland confirmed as much, per Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscription required).
“Pick on Tyler Herro,” Garland said. “Don’t play in tight spaces and pick on their weak defenders. Go at them.”
According to NBA.com’s data, the Cavaliers have attempted 33 shots through two games with Herro as the primary defender, making 21 of them (63.6%). No other Heat player has a higher number of field goals against (in terms of both makes and attempts) in the series.
Herro and the Heat didn’t have a media session on Thursday, but when the team spoke to reporters on Friday, the All-Star guard knew he’d be asked about Garland’s comments and didn’t hold back his feelings about them.
“To go to the media to talk about the game plan and this and that says a lot about him. I’m not worried about Darius Garland,” Herro said, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. “Somebody that doesn’t play defense shouldn’t be talking, either. He don’t play any defense and we’ll see that tomorrow. He don’t play no D.”
To Herro’s point, Heat players have made 12-of-18 shots (66.7%) in the first two games of the series with Garland as their primary defender, per NBA.com.
As Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald writes, Herro downplayed the idea that Garland’s comments would further motivate him, telling reporters that he has “enough fuel in me” and doesn’t need any more from “that guy over there.” However, teammate Bam Adebayo, who came to his teammate’s defense, suggested Garland’s remarks would make for good bulletin-board material for the rest of the Heat.
“(He) cannot hide,” Adebayo said. “He said what he said. We all take that personal.”
Both Garland and Herro told Joe Vardon of The Athletic that they have a good relationship, but as Vardon writes, that doesn’t mean the trash talk between them isn’t real.
“I mean, I’m not f—ing around. I don’t think there’s anything to f— around about,” Herro told The Athletic on Friday. “But we had said some words to each other on the court and then looked like he was in his feelings to go to the media to say that after the game. I mean, that kind of says everything right there.”
As we relayed earlier on Friday, Garland is listed as questionable to play in Game 3 due to a left big toe sprain.
Celtics’ Brown, Tatum Available For Game 3; Holiday Out
5:20 pm: After being upgraded from doubtful to questionable about an hour ago, Tatum will make his return on Friday for Game 3, tweets Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. Brown will also be available, but Holiday has been ruled out.
2:24 pm: The Celtics could be shorthanded for Friday’s Game 3 in Orlando. In their initial injury report on Thursday, the team listed Jrue Holiday as questionable with a right hamstring strain and Jayson Tatum as doubtful with a right distal radius bone bruise, tweets Jared Weiss of The Athletic.
On Friday, reigning Finals MVP Jaylen Brown was also added to the injury report, having been listed as questionable due to a right knee posterior impingement (Twitter link via Weiss). Brown has been managing the knee injury for several weeks.
Tatum was sidelined for Boston’s Game 2 victory after injuring his right wrist in Game 1. It seems likely that he will miss Friday’s contest as well.
It remains to be seen if Holiday and Brown will be forced to miss tonight’s game, but it’s certainly not ideal for the Celtics that both players are battling injuries.
Brown is coming off an excellent Game 2 performance, finishing with 36 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. Boston currently holds a 2-0 lead in the first-round series.
A fourth Celtics starter, Kristaps Porzingis, sustained a cut which required five stitches Wednesday after being inadvertently elbowed by Goga Bitadze, per Baxton Holmes of ESPN. However, Porzingis was able to return to the game and downplayed the gash after the victory.
“Honestly, how can I not come [back] out?” Porzingis said. “Like, ‘Oh, I have five stitches, I can’t play anymore.’ My legs work, everything works, so of course I’m going to be out there. And you know me. I like these moments. Coming back out again, getting a little love from the crowd. It just happens within the game and this is not going to stop me. So I’m going to keep going.”
Warriors’ Jimmy Butler Questionable For Game 3 After Game 2 Exit
April 25: The Warriors confirmed (via Twitter) that Butler has a pelvis and deep gluteal muscle contusion. He’s questionable for Game 3 on Saturday, per the team.
April 24: Butler avoided a serious injury and has been diagnosed with a deep glute muscle contusion, reports ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link). According to Charania, this is a best-case scenario for Butler, as his MRI revealed no structural damage.
Still, Butler’s status for Game 3 against the Rockets on Saturday is in “serious jeopardy.” The Warriors defeated the Rockets on the road in Game 1 behind strong contributions from Curry and Butler, but lost in Game 2 after Butler exited.
April 23: Warriors forward Jimmy Butler has been ruled out for the rest of Golden State’s ongoing Game 2 against the Rockets after a hard fall in the first quarter, Golden State’s PR team announced (via Twitter). He has been diagnosed with a pelvis contusion.
The 6’7″ swingman landed hard on his tailbone after Houston forward Amen Thompson was knocked off balance while battling for a defensive rebound and undercut him beneath the basket (Twitter video link via Dr. David J. Chao).
Butler finishes the game with three points on 1-of-2 shooting from the floor and 1-of-2 shooting from the free throw line, plus two rebounds, in just eight minutes.
Since Golden State acquired the six-time All-Star from Miami in a multi-team blockbuster trade in February, the team has rallied to emerge as a legitimate title contender. Butler has shored up the Warriors’ defense — and given them another major creator — alongside incumbent stars Stephen Curry and Draymond Green. An extended Butler absence could kill the Warriors’ title aspirations.
Another Golden State starter also departed in the first half — guard Brandin Podziemski is questionable to return after exiting the game with a stomach bug, per the Warriors (Twitter link).
Reserve forward Jonathan Kuminga, who had been removed from head coach Steve Kerr‘s rotation since the Warriors’ final regular season game, is now getting his first playoff run of the postseason. Guard Pat Spencer is also seeing some action in the rotation as a result of Podziemski’s absence.
Houston currently leads Golden State by double digits, 47-31, late into the second quarter. The Warriors beat the Rockets at home in Game 1 on Sunday.
A source informs Anthony Slater of The Athletic (via Twitter) that Butler will undergo imaging on Thursday. Slater observes that both Curry and Kuminga were recently diagnosed with pelvic contusions after their own hard falls, and each missed minimal time. Both had to manage the pain upon their returns but were able to play again fairly quickly.