AJ Griffin, Yannick Nzosa Enter 2022 NBA Draft
Duke forward AJ Griffin officially announced on Sunday that he’ll be entering the 2022 NBA draft (Twitter link). Based on the wording of the announcement from the school, it sounds as if Griffin will forgo his remaining college eligibility and go pro.
Griffin’s decision comes as no surprise, as he’s considered a potential lottery pick, ranking No. 8 overall on ESPN’s big board. As a freshman, he averaged 10.4 PPG and 3.9 RPG with an impressive .447 3PT% in 39 games (24.0 MPG).
In his scouting report on Griffin, Mike Schmitz of ESPN refers to the 18-year-old as one of college basketball’s best shooters and says he has the type of physical frame NBA scouts love (6’6″ with a seven-foot wingspan). While Griffin looked like a potential top-five pick at times, there were other games where he looked like a “one-dimensional gunner,” according to Schmitz, who says the former Blue Devil will have to prove he can be a “willing, engaged” defender.
Griffin joins his Duke teammates Paolo Banchero, Mark Williams, Trevor Keels, and Wendell Moore in the 2022 draft pool.
Meanwhile, 18-year-old Congolese center Yannick Nzosa has also declared for the draft, a source tells Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Twitter link). Nzosa, who has spent the last couple seasons playing for Unicaja in Spain, is the No. 46 prospect on ESPN’s board and projects as a second-round pick, according to Givony.
Sunday night was the deadline for early entrants to declare for the 2022 NBA draft, so we should get an official preliminary early entry list from the league at some point this week. We’ve been tracking this year’s early entrants right here, but our list is unofficial and could grow significantly when the NBA puts out the full list of names.
Ochai Agbaji Declares For Draft
Kansas wing Ochai Agbaji has declared for the 2022 NBA draft, he announced on social media tonight (Twitter link). Agbaji is coming off a season where he was a Consensus First Team All American and was named the Big 12 Player of the Year.
Agbaji, a projected lottery pick, is currently ranked 13th on ESPN’s big board. He averaged 18.8 points and 5.1 rebounds per game this season, shooting 47.5% from the floor and 41% from distance.
“Before I put my collegiate career in the rearview mirror and look to the future, I want to thank some of the people who helped put me on the road to success. My family. My teammates. my coaches. And of course – Jayhawk nation,” Agbaji said as part of a larger statement. “No matter where basketball takes me, I’ll always be a Jayhawk.”
The 22-year-old Agbaji helped Kansas win the NCAA championship this season. It was his fourth year with the school, so he would’ve had one more year of eligibility if he had chosen to remain in college.
The NBA draft will be held on June 23 from Brooklyn, New York this year.
Ben Simmons Will Not Play In Game 4
Nets star Ben Simmons will not make his season debut in a do-or-die Game 4 of Brooklyn’s first-round series against the Celtics, scheduled for Monday, per Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter).
It had been assumed Simmons would suit up for the Nets tomorrow, provided his recovery from a herniated disc in his back did not face any setbacks. After getting an epidural to treat his back in March, Simmons had finally taken part in his first 4-on-4 scrimmage this week and was targeting Game 4 for his Nets debut.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets that both Brooklyn and Simmons anticipated he’d be able to hit the hardwood on Monday, but he did in fact face a setback following some scrimmaging on Saturday. According to Woj, Simmons said he woke up to a sore back on Sunday, and ultimately the club decided to keep their pricey new player sidelined for another game.
Boston currently leads the series 3-0. No team in NBA playoff history has managed to recover from that level of deficit, so from a strategic standpoint for Brooklyn, it makes sense to not throw Simmons into the fire at this point of the team’s season if he’s not 100% healthy.
Simmons had been trying to make a comeback in time to help his new club in the postseason. Brooklyn traded for the three-time All-Star in a blockbuster deadline deal with Philadelphia.
If the Nets wind up winning Game 4 at home, a fifth contest against the Celtics would be played in Boston on Wednesday.
Fred VanVleet Suffers Left Hip Strain
APRIL 24: The Raptors are listing VanVleet as questionable for Game 5 on Monday, having diagnosed the injury as a left hip flexor strain, per Josh Lewenberg (via Twitter).
APRIL 23: Raptors All-Star Fred VanVleet suffered a left hip strain in the team’s game against the Sixers on Saturday, Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports tweets.
VanVleet exited the contest early and ripped his jersey in frustration as he walked to the locker room. He’ll undergo further imaging to determine the extent of the injury, Lewenberg adds.
In addition to the hip injury, VanVleet has also been playing through some knee pain. His status for Game 5 in Philadelphia and potentially beyond is unclear. The Raptors managed to hang on and defeat the Sixers in Game 4, trimming the series deficit to 3-1.
VanVleet finished with five points, two rebounds and three assists in nearly 15 minutes, shooting 2-of-6 from the floor. Toronto received impressive performances from Pascal Siakam (34 points) and Gary Trent Jr. (24 points) in his absence.
VanVleet also didn’t return to the Raptors’ bench after suffering the injury. He’s coming off the first All-Star campaign of his career, averaging 20.3 points and 6.7 assists per game on 40% shooting.
Alex Caruso Exits Game With Facial Injury, Possible Concussion
After suffering a facial injury in the second quarter of a critical Game 4, Bulls guard Alex Caruso has left the game for good this afternoon, per K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago (Twitter link). Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets that the Bulls are examining Caruso to check for a potential concussion.
Bucks reserve guard Jevon Carter inadvertently shoved his forearm into Caruso’s face while scrambling during a play. Carter drew blood, and Caruso had his nose treated before eventually departing the floor for the locker room.
Caruso, starting at the point in the place of his injured teammate Lonzo Ball, has been a key defensive force for Chicago in its first-round matchup with Milwaukee. His offensive output has been fairly modest. He had been averaging 8.3 PPG, 4.3 APG, 1.7 RPG, and 1.3 SPG through the Bulls’ first three games in the series. The Bucks currently lead the series 2-1 and are in position to win Game 4.
Head coach Billy Donovan opted to start rookie guard Ayo Dosunmu in Caruso’s stead to start the game’s second half.
Joel Embiid Has Ligament Tear, Will Get Surgery After Playoffs
An MRI has verified that Sixers All-Star center Joel Embiid has suffered a right thumb ligament tear, per Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer (via Twitter).
Philadelphia head coach Doc Rivers has indicated that Embiid still intends to keep playing through the injury, per Tim Bontemps of ESPN (Twitter link). The MVP finalist himself mentioned that he hoped to keep playing through the injury ahead of the MRI. Ligament damage had been anticipated, based on an initial exam earlier in the week.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports that Embiid will need surgery to treat the ligament tear, but noted that the Sixers will hold off on an operation until their current postseason run concludes. The 76ers currently lead the Raptors 3-1 in their first-round matchup.
Embiid, a five-time All-Star and one of the three contenders for MVP honors this season, enjoyed a monumental regular season, averaging 30.6 PPG, 11.7 RPG and 4.2 APG in 68 games, with shooting splits of .499/.371/.814. He is averaging 26 PPG, 11.8 RPG, and 1.8 APG across the first four games of Philadelphia’s first-round series with Toronto.
Robert Williams Cleared For Game 3
Injured Celtics center Robert Williams will return to action in Saturday’s Game 3 against the Nets, tweets Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. Coach Ime Udoka said Williams will come off the bench and is expected to play in short spurts totaling 20 to 24 minutes.
Williams has been sidelined since having a surgical procedure in late March for a torn meniscus in his left knee. Boston was able to win the first two game of the series without Williams’ presence in the middle.
There have been reports over the past week or so that Williams was making progress and was targeting Game 3 or 4 for a possible return. His original recovery timeline was four to six weeks after suffering the injury on March 27 and undergoing surgery a few days later, so he’s coming back ahead of schedule.
The fourth-year center played an important role in the Celtics’ late-season rise up the standings to the No. 2 seed. He became a full-time starter this year and posted career-best numbers across the board with averages of 10.0 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.2 blocks in 61 games.
Luka Doncic To Return For Game 4
2:02pm: Doncic will return against the Jazz in Game 4, the Mavericks announced on social media.
12:52pm: The Mavericks are increasingly optimistic about Luka Doncic (calf strain) returning for Game 4 against the Jazz on Saturday, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports. Doncic has been upgraded to probable, the team announced (Twitter link).
Doncic must complete his warm-up without any setbacks before being activated for the contest, according to Wojnarowski. The plan is for him to see limited minutes if he makes his series debut.
Despite missing Doncic in the first three games, the Mavericks hold a 2-1 series lead over the Jazz. A win on Sunday would give them a 3-1 advantage heading back to Dallas for Game 5 on Monday.
Doncic scrimmaged 5-on-5 with the team this week and didn’t feel any discomfort in his calf. He’s coming off a season where he averaged 28.4 points, 9.1 rebounds and 8.7 assists per game, shooting an efficient 46% from the floor. He last played on April 10.
Scottie Barnes Wins Rookie Of The Year Award
Raptors forward Scottie Barnes has won the 2021/22 NBA Rookie of the Year award, the league announced in a press release. Barnes finished in first place over fellow finalists Evan Mobley and Cade Cunningham who finished in second and third place, respectively.
Barnes, who earned 48 first-place votes and 378 total points, narrowly edged out Mobley for the award. The Cavaliers‘ big man had 43 first-place votes and 363 total points. The 15-point difference is the smallest margin of victory for Rookie of the Year since the current voting format started 19 years ago.
Cunningham, the Pistons‘ starting point guard, had nine first-place votes and 153 total points for a solid third-place finish. Jalen Green, Franz Wagner, and Herbert Jones were the only other rookies who received votes — none of them earned a first-place vote, and none had more than two total votes.
The 20-year-old Barnes averaged 15.3 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists for Toronto this season, shooting 49% from the floor and 30% from deep. He also provided versatile defense and helped the Raptors finish with the fifth-best record in the East at 48-34.
Barnes was drafted by Toronto No. 4 overall last year. He ranked third in points per game, third in rebounds per game and seventh in assists per game among all rookies this season. He also finished with the second-most steals in the group (80 in 74 games).
The NBA still hasn’t revealed the winners for most of this season’s awards, including Most Valuable Player — Defensive Player of the Year (Marcus Smart) is the only other award that has been announced to date. The full list of finalists for each award can be found here.
Joel Embiid Dealing With Thumb Injury, Plans To Keep Playing
APRIL 23: Embiid will suit up today in a possible closeout Game 4 against the Raptors and then will will undergo an MRI on his injured right thumb after the Sixers travel back home, per Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).
APRIL 22: Sixers MVP finalist Joel Embiid is dealing with pain in his right thumb, but was able to practice Friday and plans to play in Game 4 against Toronto, which takes place on Saturday, according to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne and Adrian Wojnarowski. Embiid might undergo an MRI soon to see if he has a ligament injury.
The star center’s injury is listed as a right thumb sprain, but he will be available to play, per Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
Embiid wore a brace on his wrist and had his thumb taped after a medical treatment session following the Game 3 victory on Wednesday, during which he hit the game-winning three-pointer at the end of overtime.
“I don’t know exactly know what happened,” Embiid said at his press conference on Wednesday, nearly two hours later. “But I just started feeling pain and think I might have twisted it. So we’re gonna see what’s going on [Thursday].” Embiid was adamant that he wouldn’t miss any games with the injury.
As Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice notes, if Philadelphia is able to close out its series against Toronto on Saturday, Embiid would receive an extra week of rest before facing the winner of the Miami/Atlanta series, which Miami currently leads 2-0. Embiid told reporters that his wrist and thumb were “sore, but okay.”
“He’s good,” head coach Doc Rivers said. “We did a lot of stuff, we just don’t want anybody to hit his arm and all that, but he was fine.”
Shortly after ESPN’s report, Shams Charania of The Athletic relayed (via Twitter) that “there is fear” that Embiid has a torn thumb ligament, but plans to keep playing despite the injury.
However, a source told Neubeck in a separate article for PhillyVoice that an official diagnosis would be premature due to the lack of testing done on the injury. The star center is expected to continue playing with the thumb taped, and the team’s medical staff will provide pain management.
Obviously, Embiid’s potential absence could have a profound impact on Philadelphia’s title hopes, but all signs point to the ailment being manageable at this point. Through three playoff games against Toronto, all victories, he has averaged 27.7 points and 13 rebounds on .510/.333/.794 shooting in 39.7 minutes per contest.