Jalen Suggs Undergoes Right Ankle Surgery
Rookie guard Jalen Suggs underwent surgery last week on his right ankle, according to the Magic, who announced in a press release that the procedure repaired a “slight” stress fracture in the ankle.
The team didn’t announce an exact recovery timeline for Suggs, but said he’s expected to resume basketball activities this summer and make a full recovery by the start of training camp in the fall.
“In assessing Jalen’s right ankle at the conclusion of the season, and consulting with multiple doctors, we came to the determination to undergo this preventative measure,” president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman said in a statement. “We feel by addressing this now Jalen can still have a productive summer leading into training camp.”
It’s unclear how the injury might have affected Suggs’ play in his rookie year. He missed time due to a right ankle sprain and a right ankle bone bruise in the second half of the season.
The No. 5 pick in last year’s draft, Suggs had perhaps the most underwhelming rookie season of any player selected in the top 10, averaging 11.8 PPG, 4.4 APG, and 3.6 RPG with a subpar .361/.214/.773 shooting line in 48 games (27.2 MPG). Besides the ankle issue, the former Gonzaga standout also dealt with a fractured right thumb that cost him 20 games in December and January.
Suggs is still just 20 years old and was highly regarded coming out of college, so the Magic certainly still view him as an important part of their future and will look for him to take a step forward in his second season. It doesn’t sound as if his 2022/23 debut will be delayed at all by last week’s surgery.
Sixers Optimistic About Joel Embiid’s Return
Joel Embiid will miss the first two games of the Sixers‘ series with the Heat, but the team is hopeful that he can be ready for Game 3 or 4, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Embiid, who suffered an orbital fracture and a mild concussion in Thursday’s game, still must clear the league’s concussion protocol, Wojnarowski notes, adding that he will also see a doctor this week to see how much the orbital fracture has healed.
Embiid was injured late in Game 6 against Toronto when Pascal Siakam accidentally elbowed him in the face. Siakam has apologized, according to Justin Grasso of Sports Illustrated.
“Obviously, on the play [after], I feel bad — awful that I hit his face — but I was trying to make a move,” Siakam explained. “I apologized to him after that. You know, that was definitely not my intention.”
Sixers coach Doc Rivers, who has been criticized for still having Embiid in the game with a 29-point lead and less than four minutes remaining, defended his decision on Saturday.
Warriors May Have Interest In Rudy Gobert
The Warriors are a team to watch if the Jazz decide to trade Rudy Gobert this offseason, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said on his latest Hoop Collective podcast (hat tip to Real GM).
There have been rumors for several years that Gobert and Donovan Mitchell have an uneasy relationship in Utah. Speculation that they might be broken up has resurfaced after the Jazz were knocked out of the playoffs in the first round.
During a discussion about possible trade destinations for Gobert, Tim MacMahon of ESPN, a guest on Windhorst’s show, joked that Gobert and Draymond Green have a great relationship and wondered if the Warriors could be a a potential landing spot for the three-time Defensive Player of the Year. Windhorst replied, “I have heard that rumor out there.”
Gobert has four years and about $170MM left on his contract, including a $46.6MM player option in 2025/26, so it won’t be easy for Utah to move him. Windhorst points out that Golden State has Andrew Wiggins‘ expiring $33.6MM deal for next season to help match salary.
Both Windhorst and MacMahon indicated that it’s more likely Gobert will be traded instead of Mitchell if Utah decides to split them up. There’s a belief that the Jazz want to hold onto Mitchell and rebuild the roster around him.
Jackson, Brown, Clifford Are Finalists For Kings’ Coaching Job
5:36pm: Jackson, Brown and Clifford are the three finalists for the job and will all have in-person meetings with the Kings’ front office, tweets James Ham of ESPN 1320.
The other four candidates — Mike D’Antoni, Celtics assistant Will Hardy and Bucks assistants Darvin Ham and Charles Lee — are no longer under consideration.
4:19pm: ABC/ESPN announcer Mark Jackson is a finalist to become the next head coach of the Kings, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic, who adds that general manager Monte McNair has started notifying the candidates who will receive in-person interviews.
Warriors assistant Mike Brown and Nets consultant Steve Clifford are finalists as well, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
Jackson, who is among the candidates that LeBron James reportedly wants the Lakers to consider, hasn’t coached since the 2013/14 season and is currently employed as an ABC/ESPN broadcaster. He compiled a 121-109 record in three seasons with the Warriors and reached the playoffs twice.
Brown has been an assistant on Steve Kerr‘s staff since the 2016/17 season. He has a 347-216 record as a head coach with the Cavaliers and Lakers and was named Coach of the Year in 2009.
Clifford spent three years as head coach of the Magic before he and the team decided to part ways last summer. He also served five seasons as head coach in Charlotte and has a career record of 292-345.
Joel Embiid Out Indefinitely With Orbital Fracture, Concussion
9:10pm: Like Neubeck, Ramona Shelburne of ESPN hears from sources that Embiid’s orbital fracture might not require surgery. He’ll be reevaluated next week but will miss a minimum of five days due to the concussion. With the caveat that there’s still no timetable for his potential return, sources tell Shelburne that “the door isn’t closed” on that possibility (Twitter links).
7:57pm: Sixers star Joel Embiid suffered a right orbital fracture and mild concussion in the team’s Game 6 victory over Toronto on Thursday, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter), who says the center will be sidelined with no timetable for a return.
The Sixers have confirmed the news, according to Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice (Twitter link). Embiid will be listed as out and his status will be updated “as appropriate.”
As ESPN’s Tim Bontemps notes (via Twitter), the injury appeared to occur when Embiid was hit in the face by an inadvertent elbow from Pascal Siakam late in the fourth quarter of the 132-97 blowout win. Philadelphia was up 29 points at the time, with only four minutes remaining, Derek Bodner of The Daily Six newsletter tweets.
Embiid had already been playing through pain for the past week after he tore a ligament in his right thumb in Game 3 of the first-round series, which will require surgery in the offseason.
Obviously, it’s devastating news for both Embiid personally and for Philadelphia’s title hopes. Any prolonged absence will have a profound impact on the team’s upcoming series against Miami, which starts on Monday. The Heat are the No. 1 seed in the East and hold home-court advantage over the No. 4 Sixers.
The 28-year-old big man is an MVP finalist for the second consecutive season after a phenomenal regular season in which he averaged a league-best 30.6 points along with 11.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.5 blocks on .499/.371/.814 shooting in 68 games (33.8 minutes). Despite playing through the torn thumb ligament for three-plus games, he averaged an impressive 26.2 points, 11.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists in the team’s six-game series win over the Raptors.
This is the second orbital fracture Embiid has sustained in his career, Neubeck writes in a story for PhillyVoice. The first occurred on the left side of his face in 2018, with Embiid undergoing surgery and ultimately missing 22 days and 10 games (including two playoff games), which is the average recovery timeline for the injury, per Jeff Stotts of InStreetClothes.com (Twitter thread). There’s no indication yet that a surgery will be required this time around, Neubeck notes.
With Embiid sidelined, the Sixers will lean heavily on James Harden, Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris for offense, but there will be a giant hole in the middle of the lineup with their best player out. Backup big men Paul Reed, DeAndre Jordan and Paul Millsap are candidates to see additional action in Embiid’s stead.
Lakers To Interview Darvin Ham For Head Coaching Job
The Lakers have requested permission to interview Bucks lead assistant Darvin Ham for their open head coaching position, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times confirms Charania’s report, citing a person close to the situation who says the team has been granted permission to interview Ham.
Ham started his NBA career as a player, appearing in 417 games from 1996-2005 and winning a championship as a bit player for the Pistons in 2004. As Bill Oram and Eric Nehm of The Athletic note, Ham first made the transition to coaching in the G League as an assistant, and later as a general manager and head coach.
The 48-year-old has ties to the Lakers organization, as his first role as an NBA assistant coach came with L.A. from 2011-2013. Ham has spent the last nine seasons working under head coach Mike Budenholzer in Atlanta and now Milwaukee, winning a title with the Bucks last season.
Ham was considered a top candidate to become the Wizards’ new head coach last July, but Washington ultimately decided to hire Wes Unseld Jr. instead. The Kings also intend to interview Ham for their head coaching job, which is unfilled after Sacramento parted ways with interim head coach Alvin Gentry earlier this month.
There have been rumors that the Lakers are interested in Jazz head coach Quin Snyder, but he’s still under contract with Utah. Ham is the first coach to be officially linked to the vacancy in Los Angeles.
Zion Williamson Enthusiastic About Potential Extension With Pelicans
Asked during his end-of-season media session on Friday about the possibility of signing a rookie scale extension with the Pelicans when he becomes eligible this offseason, forward Zion Williamson expressed enthusiasm, tweets William Guillory of The Athletic.
“Of course,” Williamson said. “I couldn’t sign it fast enough.”
[RELATED: Players Eligible For Rookie Scale Extensions In 2022]
There are a couple caveats worth noting here. For one, it’s not uncommon for a player speaking to reporters to express platitudes about wanting to sign a contract extension with a team and for that deal not to ultimately materialize.
It also seems likely that Williamson is talking about a maximum-salary contract offer, or something close to the max, rather than suggesting he’d accept any offer the Pelicans put in front of him.
No player eligible for a rookie scale extension has ever turned down a maximum-salary offer, but given that Zion missed the entire 2021/22 season due to a foot injury and has appeared in just 85 games since entering the league in 2019, putting a max deal on the table won’t be an automatic decision for the Pelicans.
Still, Williamson’s comment is noteworthy since there has been ongoing speculation about whether or not he’s committed to New Orleans for the long term. This is a promising sign that he’s not looking for an exit ramp.
As we noted earlier today, the Pelicans’ impressive second-half performance and tough playoff battle with the NBA-best Suns will strengthen their case when they enter negotiations with Williamson this summer — adding the former Duke star to the mix would make New Orleans one of the most intriguing teams in the West.
According to Andrew Lopez of ESPN (Twitter link), Williamson said today that he felt like he could’ve returned from his foot injury and played at the end of the season, but the coaching staff and front office ultimately decided that holding him out of action was the right call for the sake of his career longevity.
Grizzlies Center Steven Adams Enters Protocols
Steven Adams will miss Game 6 of the Grizzlies‘ first-round series against the Timberwolves after entering the league’s health and safety protocols, the team’s PR department tweets.
Adams started 75 games for the team with the Western Conference’s second-best record during the regular season. Due to matchups, Adams has dropped out of the rotation during the opening playoff round. After playing 24 minutes in Game 1, Adams has only seen seven minutes of action.
Forward Ziaire Williams is listed as doubtful with right knee soreness. Williams has appeared in all five games during the series, averaging 5.6 PPG in 11 MPG.
VanVleet To Miss Game 6; Booker Returns For Suns
5:05pm: Booker will play tonight, according to coach Monty Williams, Andrew Lopez of ESPN tweets.
4:40pm: The Raptors have ruled out guard Fred VanVleet for Game 6 against the Sixers tonight, according to coach Nick Nurse, Tim Bontemps of ESPN tweets.
VanVleet had been listed as doubtful. The Raptors will be looking to stave off elimination once again and even up the series at 3-3 with a win in Toronto.
VanVleet suffered a left hip flexor strain in Game 4 on Saturday. Toronto emerged with a 103-88 win in Game 5 without him as Nurse used an unconventional rotation without a true point guard.
Meanwhile, the Suns will look to close out their series with the Pelicans with their leading scorer back in action. Devin Booker is expected to play in Game 6 tonight, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.
Booker will test out his strained hamstring in pregame warmups, and assuming all goes well, he’ll be back on the floor after missing the past three games.
Phoenix has gone 2-1 without Booker, who is officially listed as questionable.
Lonzo Ball’s Rehab At “Standstill,” Will Visit Specialist Next Week
Bulls guard Lonzo Ball, who was officially ruled out for the season on April 6 after experiencing a couple of setbacks in his surgically-repaired left knee, says his rehab is “kind of at a standstill right now,” according to K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago.
Ball plans to visit another specialist next week, as he’s still experiencing pain from the bone bruise in his knee.
“Kind of let it calm down for the last two weeks. I was going at it pretty hard trying to get back as fast as possible,” Ball said. “But like I said, at a standstill, still have pain. So gotta get that figured out this summer for sure.”
Ball said he isn’t sure whether he’ll need a second surgery, but hopes to avoid it if possible.
“Hopefully not. I wouldn’t want to have another one,” he said. “But if that’s what it takes, then I pretty much have no choice at this point.”
As Johnson notes, injuries have been a concern for Ball throughout his pro career. The January surgery to repair his torn meniscus was the second time he’s had a procedure to repair the same cartilage in his left knee, the first occurring in 2017.
Ball has appeared in 252 of a possible 390 games in his five-year career, including 35 of 82 this season. He admitted something needs to change in the offseason.
“Obviously, something needs to be addressed this summer—a lot more leg workouts as opposed to probably upper body,” Ball said, per Johnson. “I’m going to work with the doctors and the strength coaches and do what I gotta do to get healthy.”
Acquired in a sign-and-trade deal with New Orleans last offseason, Ball played a major role in Chicago’s impressive first half. He started 35 games at point guard, averaging 13.0 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 5.1 APG, and 1.8 SPG with a .423 3PT% and strong defense. The Bulls went 22-13 in games he played, and 24-23 without him.
The 24-year-old will earn $19.5MM in 2022/23, the second season of his four-year, $80MM contract with Chicago, which includes a player option in 2024/25.