Daigneault, Bickerstaff Named Coaches Of The Month
Mark Daigneault of the Thunder and J.B. Bickerstaff of the Pistons have been named the NBA’s Coaches of the Month for games played in October and November, the league announced in a press release (Twitter links).
Daigneault won the award for the Western Conference, while Bickerstaff claimed the honor in the East.
After Oklahoma City held the best record in the NBA in 2024/25 at 68-14, Daigneault led the defending champions to a 20-1 record over the first month-plus of the season — unsurprisingly, that is once again the top record in the league.
Bickerstaff led the upstart Pistons to a 16-4 record during October and November, the top mark in the East and only trailing the Thunder for the best record in the NBA.
According to the league, David Adelman (Nuggets), Mitch Johnson (Spurs), Jordan Ott (Suns) and Ime Udoka (Rockets) were the other nominees in the West, while Kenny Atkinson (Cavaliers), Mike Brown (Knicks), Jamahl Mosley (Magic), Darko Rajakovic (Raptors), Quin Snyder (Hawks) and Erik Spoelstra (Heat) were nominated in the East.
Nikola Jokic, Cade Cunningham Earn Player Of The Month Honors
Nuggets center Nikola Jokic and Pistons guard Cade Cunningham are the NBA’s Players of the Month for October/November, earning the honor for the Western and Eastern Conference, respectively, per an announcement from the league (Twitter link).
It’s the ninth time that Jokic has won a Player of the Month award over the course of his 11-year career. He earned it in this case with a superlative start to the season that saw him comfortably average a triple-double – 28.9 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 10.9 assists per game – while leading Denver to a 14-5 record.
Jokic’s shooting percentages were arguably even more remarkable than his per-game averages, as he shot 63.7% from the field and converted 45.3% of his three-point attempts.
The Nuggets star came out on top of a competitive field that included nominees like fellow MVP candidates Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Thunder and Luka Doncic of the Lakers. Clippers guard James Harden, Rockets center Alperen Sengun, Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija, Lakers guard Austin Reaves, and Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards were also nominated for Player of the Month in the West, according to the NBA (Twitter link).
In the East, meanwhile, Cunningham’s Pistons have been one of the most pleasant surprises of the season’s first six weeks. While Detroit was viewed as a strong playoff contender, few NBA observers expected the team to win 16 of its first 20 games and sit atop the Eastern Conference at the end of November.
Cunningham was the driving force behind the Pistons’ hot start, averaging 28.8 points, 9.4 assists, and 6.4 rebounds in 36.8 minutes per game across 17 outings, while shooting 45.6% from the floor and 81.5% from the free throw line.
Raptors forward Scottie Barnes, Celtics wing Jaylen Brown, Bulls guard Josh Giddey, Hawks forward Jalen Johnson, Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey, Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell, Heat guard Norman Powell, Magic forward Franz Wagner, and Knicks teammates Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns were also nominated for Eastern Conference Player of the Month, which Cunningham won for the first time in his career.
Scottie Barnes, Cason Wallace Named Defensive Players Of The Month
Raptors forward Scottie Barnes is the Eastern Conference Defensive Player of the Month for October/November, while Thunder guard Cason Wallace won the award for the Western Conference, according to an announcement from the NBA (Twitter link).
Barnes led the surprising Raptors to a 14-7 record through the end of November, and the team posted the NBA’s sixth-best defensive rating (111.5) during that time. According to the league, the versatile 6’8″ forward ranked fourth in the East in deflections in October/November (4.0 per game) and was the only player in the NBA to rack up at least 30 steals and 30 blocks.
Wallace, meanwhile, is one of many standout defenders on a dominant Thunder team that went 20-1 with a remarkable 103.6 defensive rating in October/November. Oklahoma City was three-and-a-half games better than any other NBA club during that time, and its defensive rating was nearly seven points per 100 possessions better than that of the second-place Rockets (110.3).
While the Thunder’s defensive performance is a team effort, Wallace led the NBA in steals per game (2.2) to open the season and also had more deflections per game (5.0) than any other player in the West, despite playing a relatively modest 28.6 minutes per contest.
It’s the first time that either Barnes or Wallace has won the Defensive Player of the Month award, which was introduced at the start of last season. According to the NBA (Twitter link), the other players nominated in the East were Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley, Heat big man Bam Adebayo, Hawks guard Dyson Daniels, and Pistons big man Isaiah Stewart — Mobley and Daniels each earned Defensive Player of the Month recognition twice last season.
In the West, Wallace’s Thunder teammates Luguentz Dort and Chet Holmgren were also nominated. Rockets guard Amen Thompson was the only non-OKC nominee in the conference.
Northwest Notes: Markkanen, K. George, A. Mitchell, Wolves
Although the Jazz are incentivized to tank again in 2025/26 so they keep their top-eight protected first-round pick instead of sending it to Oklahoma City, rival teams have gotten the impression Utah would like to be competitive again in the relative short term, Marc Stein writes in his latest Substack story (subscriber link).
According to Stein, it’s difficult for some teams to gauge the true intentions of new head of basketball operations Austin Ainge, but most of the opposing front offices Stein has spoken to have become “increasingly convinced” the Jazz would rather make a trade to enhance their core around Lauri Markkanen rather than deal away the Finnish star, who is averaging a career-best 27.9 points per game this season.
There has been speculation that Utah could look to move Markkanen within the next year, and Ainge didn’t entirely shut down that possibility in October. The 28-year-old forward is signed to a lucrative long-term contract which runs through the 2028/29 season.
Here’s more from the Northwest:
- After struggling mightily in Sunday’s lopsided loss to Houston — he played through an illness and went scoreless on 0-of-6 shooting and committed eight turnovers in 19 minutes — Keyonte George bounced back in a major way in Monday’s victory over the Rockets, finishing with 28 points (on 8-of-14 shooting), eight assists and four rebounds in 37 minutes. The third-year guard is having a breakout season for the Jazz, averaging 22.5 points, 6.8 assists, and 3.9 rebounds on .440/.325/.898 shooting through 19 games (33.9 minutes per contest). George credits an open conversation with head coach Will Hardy at the conclusion of 2024/25 for changing his mentality and raising his expectations, he tells Marc J. Spears of Andscape. “Our relationship is on a whole other level now. My exit interview was brutal. Will shot it to me straight,” George said. “Will calls me late at night and tells me little things like, ‘Play defense,’ and then he hangs up. But also, we got to the realization where we have some great dialogue. He doesn’t like some stuff and I try to communicate what I was thinking and the group was thinking. That is important for me. With the position I’m playing, I’m a second him on the floor. He can’t play. So, I’m thinking for the group trying to execute what he wants every single possession. Our relationship from my first year to now it’s completely different.”
- Ajay Mitchell, a 2024 second-round pick, unexpectedly received immediate rotation minutes while on a two-way contract last season with the Thunder. A toe injury forced him to miss a significant portion of his rookie year, but the Belgian guard was still promoted to a standard contract in February and then signed a team-friendly multiyear deal as a restricted free agent over the summer. Mitchell tells Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman (subscription required) that his lengthy absence helped prepare him for year two, and the former UC Santa Barbara star has made tremendous strides in his second season, boosting his production across the board and improving on both sides of the ball. “He’s just a really good basketball player,” reigning MVP and Finals MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said. “His feel for the game is what jumps out right away. He just understands how to play. It’s almost like when you’re playing with him, it’s like a pickup game. He doesn’t need a play called for him. He doesn’t need too much structure. He just goes out there and figures out a way, makes the right basketball play, plays hard and wins. He makes it easy for me.”
- Down four points entering the fourth quarter on Sunday, Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch rolled out a lineup featuring Mike Conley, Donte DiVincenzo, Jaden McDaniels, Julius Randle and Naz Reid and swung the tide of momentum to a win, writes Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. That five-man group had only played 15 minutes together this season entering Sunday, but blitzed San Antonio during its six minutes together last night. “We’re a hard team to beat when we’re all involved, and it shows,” said Reid, who scored eight of his 15 points in a fourth quarter in which the Wolves outscored the Spurs by 20 points with him on the floor. “If we could do that more consistently, we’re going to be a really, really hard team to beat. It’s fun, especially when you’re doing it at home, getting the crowd involved and all that good stuff. It’s fun basketball.”
Luka Doncic, Jalen Brunson Named Players Of Week
Lakers guard Luka Doncic and Knicks guard Jalen Brunson have been named the Western and Eastern Conference Players of the Week, respectively, according to the NBA (Twitter links).
Doncic led the Lakers to three wins during the week of November 24-30 while averaging 37.3 points, 10.3 assists and 8.7 rebounds per contest. Those performances, which included a 43-point outburst against the Clippers, increased his league-leading scoring average to 35.1 points per game.
Brunson lifted the Knicks to four wins by averaging 28.8 points and 4.5 assists per game while knocking down 40.7 percent of his three-point attempts. He matched his season high on Friday by racking up 37 points against Milwaukee.
Doncic and Brunson, of course, were backcourt partners in Dallas. Brunson has earned Eastern Conference Player of the Week honors seven times since joining the Knicks, while this is the first time Doncic has achieved the feat since becoming a Laker.
The other nominees in the West were Zach Edey (Grizzlies), Anthony Edwards (Timberwolves), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder), Jamal Murray (Nuggets) and Austin Reaves (Lakers).
Desmond Bane (Magic), Jaylen Brown (Celtics), Tyler Herro (Heat), Jalen Johnson (Hawks) and Pascal Siakam (Pacers) were also nominated in the East.
Isaiah Hartenstein Has Soleus Strain, Will Be Reevaluated In 10-14 Days
Center Isaiah Hartenstein has been diagnosed with a right soleus strain and will be reevaluated in 10-to-14 days, the Thunder announced (via Twitter). An examination was done after Hartenstein missed Friday’s game against Phoenix because of soreness in his right ankle.
After injuries limited him to 57 games last year, Hartenstein has been a rock in the middle for Oklahoma City this season, appearing in the first 19 games. He’s played an important role in helping the Thunder build the league’s best record, averaging 12.2 points, 10.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.3 steals in 27.8 minutes per night while shooting 67.1% from the field.
Hartenstein’s injury is the latest significant one for the Thunder, who haven’t been able to field a full lineup yet despite their 19-1 record. Jalen Williams, one of the heroes of the NBA Finals, didn’t make his season debut until Friday, while Chet Holmgren, Luguentz Dort, Alex Caruso, Kenrich Williams, Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins have all missed multiple games with various ailments.
Holmgren was used as the starting center on Friday as OKC employed a smaller starting five with Williams returning. Reserve big man Jaylin Williams played 21 minutes, and he’ll likely have an expanded role until Hartenstein resumes playing.
Hartenstein suffered a left soleus strain in January and missed five games last season, according to Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman (Twitter link).
After playing for five teams in his first six NBA seasons, Hartenstein turned out to be a valuable addition for the Thunder when he signed as a free agent in the summer of 2024. That deal includes a $28.5MM team option for next season, which could lead to a difficult decision as Oklahoma City tries to remain at a championship level without going deep into second-apron territory.
Northwest Notes: J. Williams, Randle, Holiday, Thybulle, Bailey
Jalen Williams was back on the court Friday night, adding another weapon to the Thunder’s already-potent lineup, writes Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman. Returning to the starting lineup in his season debut, Williams scored 11 points in 29 minutes and handed out eight assists as Oklahoma City defeated Phoenix to advance to the next round of NBA Cup competition.
“Just pass the ball to the guys who’ve been playing was the goal for tonight,” Williams told reporters. “I’m also joining a team that’s 18-1 up until when I played, so you try to fit in a little bit offensively and not mess up the rotations. And then obviously (Isaiah Hartenstein) and Ajay (Mitchell) don’t play tonight either, so it’s like now our rotations are even more different. I’m just trying to pick and choose spots and mesh with what the team is doing.”
Friday marked the end of a long recovery process for Williams, who underwent surgery to repair a torn scapholunate ligament in early July, shortly after the end of the NBA Finals. He needed a second procedure in late October to take out a screw that was causing irritation.
Martinez notes that Williams, who was a second-team All-Defensive selection last season, displayed his versatility in Friday’s game by serving as the primary defender on 10 different Phoenix players, ranging from point guard Collin Gillespie to center Mark Williams. He held them to a combined 3-of-14 from the field.
“Defense is very easy compared to offense, especially when you lose your right hand for five months,” Williams added. “I can always play hard defensively and figure it out from there. It’s going to take some time (with shooting). Like I said, I haven’t played in forever. … I’m still trying to figure my way out through my jump shot and dribbling and trying to get my touch back. That’s just something that’s got to progress throughout the season. But defensively, my feet feel fine and my wind is actually really good. I can always do that.”
There’s more from the Northwest Division:
- Timberwolves coach Chris Finch plans to expand Julius Randle‘s role in the offense, per Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter link).“We need to put him more in the heart of what we’re doing,” Finch said at Friday’s practice, “and that’s a lot of things we worked on today.”
- Trail Blazers interim coach Tiago Splitter said Jrue Holiday is “getting better” as he works his way back from a calf injury that has sidelined him for the past seven games, tweets Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report. Holiday was able to participate in some non-contact drills at Saturday’s practice, but hasn’t received full clearance from the medical staff. Splitter added that Matisse Thybulle, who is recovering from thumb surgery and hasn’t played since October 26, is doing some shooting and ball-handling work, but also hasn’t been cleared for full contact.
- Jazz rookie forward Ace Bailey is considered day-to-day after suffering a bruise on his right knee in Friday’s game, according to Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter link).
Field Set For NBA Cup Knockout Round
The group stage of the NBA Cup was completed on Friday, determining the matchups for the knockout round.
In the East, Group B winner — the Magic — captured the No. 1 seed. The Raptors, the Group A victor, snared the No. 2 seed with the Knicks, who emerged from Group C, in the No. 3 slot. The Heat earned the wild card bid and No. 4 seed.
On the West side, the Thunder grabbed the No. 1 seed after taking Group A. The Lakers, who won Group B, got the No. 2 seed with the Spurs, the Group C winner, nailing down the No. 3 seed. The Suns collected the wild card bid and No. 4 seed.
[RELATED: Details On NBA Cup Prize Money For 2025/26]
Here is the knockout round schedule, per NBA.com:
Quarterfinals
- December 9
- No. 4 Heat at No. 1 Magic (6:00 p.m. ET)
- No. 3 Knicks at No. 2 Raptors (8:30 p.m. ET)
- December 10
- No. 4 Suns at No. 1 Thunder (7:30 p.m. ET)
- No. 3 Spurs at No. 2 Lakers (10:00 p.m. ET)
Semifinals
Saturday, Dec. 13 (Las Vegas)
Championship
Tuesday, Dec. 16 (Las Vegas)
Meanwhile, the 22 teams who did not advance to the quarterfinals of the NBA Cup have each had two regular season games added to their initial 80 to fill that mid-December gap on their schedules.
Here are the newly added games for those clubs, according to the league:
December 11:
- L.A. Clippers at Houston Rockets
- Boston Celtics at Milwaukee Bucks
- Portland Trail Blazers at New Orleans Pelicans
- Denver Nuggets at Sacramento Kings
December 12:
- Chicago Bulls at Charlotte Hornets
- Atlanta Hawks at Detroit Pistons
- Indiana Pacers at Philadelphia 76ers
- Cleveland Cavaliers at Washington Wizards
- Utah Jazz at Memphis Grizzlies
- Brooklyn Nets at Dallas Mavericks
- Minnesota Timberwolves at Golden State Warriors
December 14:
- Washington Wizards at Indiana Pacers
- Philadelphia 76ers at Atlanta Hawks
- Charlotte Hornets at Cleveland Cavaliers
- Milwaukee Bucks at Brooklyn Nets
- Sacramento Kings at Minnesota Timberwolves
- Golden State Warriors at Portland Trail Blazers
December 15:
- Detroit Pistons at Boston Celtics
- New Orleans Pelicans at Chicago Bulls
- Dallas Mavericks at Utah Jazz
- Houston Rockets at Denver Nuggets
- Memphis Grizzlies at L.A. Clippers
Regular season games for NBA Cup quarterfinalists:
- If Toronto and Orlando advance to the NBA Cup Semifinals, the Miami at New York game will be played on Dec. 14
- If Toronto and Miami advance to the NBA Cup Semifinals, the Orlando at New York game will be played on Dec. 14
- If New York and Orlando advance to the NBA Cup Semifinals, the Toronto at Miami game will be played on Dec. 15
- If New York and Miami advance to the NBA Cup Semifinals, the Toronto at Orlando game will be played on Dec. 15
- If San Antonio and Oklahoma City advance to the NBA Cup Semifinals, the L.A. Lakers at Phoenix game will be played on Dec. 14
- If San Antonio and Phoenix advance to the NBA Cup Semifinals, the L.A. Lakers at Oklahoma City game will be played on Dec. 14
- If L.A. Lakers and Oklahoma City advance to the NBA Cup Semifinals, the Phoenix at San Antonio game will be played on Dec. 15
- If L.A. Lakers and Phoenix advance to the NBA Cup Semifinals, the Oklahoma City at San Antonio game will be played on Dec. 15
Mitchell Exits Friday's Game With Left Knee Contusion
- Second-year Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell also exited Friday’s game an injury — a left knee contusion — and did not return, the team announced. The Belgian combo guard is among the early frontrunners for the Sixth Man of the Year award.
2025/26 NBA Disabled Player Exceptions
A disabled player exception can be granted when an NBA team has a player go down with an injury deemed to be season-ending. The exception gives the club some additional spending flexibility to add a single-season replacement in the trade market or in free agency
We go into more detail on who qualifies for disabled player exceptions, what they’re worth, and how exactly they work in our glossary entry on the subject. But essentially, a DPE allows a team to sign a player to a one-year contract, trade for a player in the final year of his contract, or place a waiver claim on a player in the final year of his contract. The exceptions are worth either half the injured player’s salary or the amount of the non-taxpayer mid-level exception (whichever amount is less).
Because the rules related to disable player exceptions are somewhat restrictive and the exceptions themselves generally aren’t worth a lot, they often expire without being used. Still, it’s worth keeping an eye on which disabled player exceptions have been granted, just in case.
We’ll use this space to break down the teams with disabled player exceptions available for the 2025/26 league year, updating it as the season progresses if more teams are granted DPEs and/or to indicate which ones have been used.
Teams have until January 15 to apply for a disabled player exception and until March 10 to actually use them.
Here’s the list so far:
Available disabled player exceptions:
- Chicago Bulls:
- $2,714,760 (Noa Essengue)
The No. 12 overall pick in the 2025 draft, Essengue played just six total minutes in two outings at the NBA level before suffering a shoulder injury in the G League that required season-ending surgery.
The Bulls have plenty of breathing room below the luxury tax line to take on additional salary, but they also still have their full mid-level and bi-annual exceptions available, so they may not end up needing the disabled player exception they were granted in mid-December.
Still, it’s another tool at their disposal on the trade market and in free agency for a Bulls team that could consider making a number of in-season roster changes, given all its players on expiring contracts.
- Dallas Mavericks:
- $2,626,680 (Dereck Lively II)
$1,148,137 (Dante Exum)
Both Lively and Exum underwent offseason procedures to address foot and knee issues, respectively, but follow-up surgeries were necessary in each case. The Mavericks confirmed during the same week in December that Lively would undergo season-ending foot surgery and that Exum would require season-ending knee surgery.
Neither player has a significant salary, so neither of the Mavericks’ disabled player exceptions is especially large. But it might not matter, since Dallas is operating right up against a second-apron hard cap and doesn’t have the flexibility to add much salary anyway.
- Houston Rockets:
- $12,500,000 (Fred VanVleet)
VanVleet tore the ACL in right knee at an unofficial team mini-camp in September, prior to the start of training camp, and underwent surgery to address the injury a few days later.
A report in October indicated that the Rockets had applied for a disabled player exception in response to VanVleet’s injury, and while there was no follow-up report confirming that request was granted, Eric Pincus of Sports Business Classroom has the $12.5MM DPE on his list of available exceptions, which suggests the NBA officially signed off.
Unfortunately for the Rockets, they’re operating about $1.26MM below their first-apron hard cap and can’t surpass that threshold at any time during the 2025/26 league year. As a result, they can’t really add salary using the VanVleet disabled player exception at this point, though there’s a chance it could come in handy on the trade market, or in free agency later in the season.
- Indiana Pacers:
- $14,104,000 (Tyrese Haliburton)
Haliburton’s injury technically occurred during the 2024/25 league year, as he tore his right Achilles tendon during Game 7 of the NBA Finals in June. However, because the injury will sideline Haliburton for all of ’25/26, the Pacers were granted a disabled player exception. It’s worth the amount of the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, since half of Haliburton’s $45.6MM salary would far exceed that amount.
The Pacers are operating about $4.7MM below the luxury tax line, so they’re unlikely to add a significant amount of extra salary during the season, but this exception is big enough that there are a variety of ways in which they could end up using a portion of it.
- Los Angeles Clippers:
- $2,677,000 (Bradley Beal)
The Clippers were awarded their disabled player exception in the wake of Beal’s season-ending hip injury. It’s worth half of his $5.35MM salary.
The Clippers are in nearly the exact same situation as the Rockets, with an open spot on their 15-man roster but without enough breathing room below their first-apron hard cap to sign a free agent to fill that spot until later in the season, with or without this DPE. The Clippers’ team salary is about $1.28MM below their hard cap, limiting their spending options for now.
- Oklahoma City Thunder:
- $2,327,520 (Thomas Sorber)
For a second straight year, the Thunder’s top draft pick will miss his entire rookie season due to an ACL tear. Oklahoma City knew about Nikola Topic‘s injury when they drafted him in 2024, but Sorber’s happened in early September during an offseason workout.
The Thunder were granted a disabled player exception for Sorber’s injury, but it’s not worth much. The only ways in which it could realistically end up being useful would be to trade for a player on a near-minimum contract that can’t be absorbed using the minimum salary exception or to outbid a team offering a prorated minimum-salary deal on the buyout market.
Oklahoma City’s position relative to the luxury tax line is worth noting. The team is just over $1MM away from that threshold and will likely want to stay below it this season to avoid starting the repeater clock.
- Washington Wizards:
- $1,769,880 (Cam Whitmore)
Whitmore’s first season as a Wizard came to an early end after he was diagnosed with a blood clot in his right shoulder. After initially ruling him out indefinitely, Washington later announced he would miss the rest of the season and submitted a request for a disabled player exception just ahead of the January 15 deadline.
That request was granted, but the Wizards’ new exception is one of the least valuable of this season’s DPEs, and the team already has several other exceptions available, including the full non-taxpayer MLE and multiple trade exceptions. It seems unlikely that Washington will find a use for its DPE.