Cavaliers Notes: Merrill, Mitchell, Garland
Weighed down by salary cap concerns, the Cavaliers made Sam Merrill a priority in free agency. They re-signed him to a team-friendly four-year, $38MM contract. The early returns have been very promising, notes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscription required). After Sunday’s win over Milwaukee, coach Kenny Atkinson has “probably been our best player over the first three games.”
“Guys just love playing with him,” Atkinson said. “He’s a winner. That’s why we gave him a nice contract this offseason. If there’s ever a guy that deserved it, he’s the guy.”
Merrill has been starting in the early going. Last season, Merrill averaged 7.2 points on 40.6% from the field and 37.2% from 3-point range.
“When you’re in a position that I have been in, it’s you want to almost know your place type of thing,” Merrill said. “But having been with these guys for three or four years, we all have trust in each other, and we all listen to each other. I’m not out here pretending I’m a 10-time All-Star or anything. But I know guys trust in what I have to say and as long as everyone is on the same page and having that trust in being accountable, I guess anyone can say what they need to say.”
Merrill only played 18 minutes at Detroit on Monday due to a hip injury.
“He’s hurting,” Atkinson said, per Spencer Davies of Clutch Points. “When Sam can’t come back in the game, it’s [painful]. I think Evan [Mobley] actually hit him in the hip. Somehow they [collided].”
We have more on the Cavaliers:
- Atkinson believes Donovan Mitchell is underappreciated on a national basis. Mitchell tore up the Pistons with 35 points on the second game of a back-to-back. “I think he’s underrated,” Atkinson said. “First Team All-NBA, I don’t know why people don’t talk about him more. Because he’s no controversy, low-key, humble? Does that equal, you get underrated because of that personality? I don’t know.”
- Guard Darius Garland was assigned to the G League’s Cleveland Charge for conditioning purposes, according to the NBA transactions log at RealGM.com. Garland is working his way back from offseason toe surgery. Mitchell’s backcourt partner in the middle of a five-year contract and his salary carries a cap hit of $39,446,090 this season.
- Merrill, who has been diagnosed with a right hip contusion, won’t play against the Celtics on Wednesday, Souichi Terada of Masslive.com relays. Garland also remains listed as out.
Blazers Notes: Williams, Splitter, Avdija, Holiday
Trail Blazers center Robert Williams was assigned to the G League’s Rip City Remix for conditioning purposes, the team’s PR department tweets. Williams is working his way back from a knee injury.
Health issues have limited Williams to 26 total outings since he was traded to Portland two years ago. He underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee back in March.
Williams will try to work his way into the rotation upon his return. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent after the season and could be a valuable trade piece prior to this year’s deadline.
We have more on the Trail Blazers:
- Interim coach Tiago Splitter is the first Brazilian-born head coach in NBA history. It’s a matter of pride for Splitter, who has replaced Chauncey Billups after Billups was shockingly arrested by the FBI following the team’s season opener. and placed on indefinite leave by the league. “It’s an honor, to be honest,” Splitter said, per Kurt Helin of NBC Sports. “You know, coming from Brazil is really, you know, a soccer country where basketball is growing, but it’s not there yet. And a lot of people follow me in Brazil and proud of just this accomplishment.”
- The Blazers have gone 2-1 since Splitter took over, including a 14-point win over the Lakers on Monday. Deni Avdija has led the team in scoring in all three games. “He knows how to talk to us. He knows how to prepare us,” Avdija said of Splitter, per Mark Medina of RG.org. “His basketball knowledge is very good. Other than that, I don’t want to get into that (the coaching situation) too much.”
- The team’s scoring limitations will define its ceiling, according to Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report. The Blazers shot 37% in a loss to the Clippers but bounced back to knock down 45.6% of their shots against the Lakers. They’re shooting 33.8 percent from deep and that could be a season-long issue. “I think our offense will definitely catch up to our defense,” Jrue Holiday said. “There’s been times where we get a bit stagnant, but it could be because we’re playing so hard on the defensive end. But I really enjoy our offense. The way we move the ball, the way we get each other involved, it’s not just one person doing everything. Everybody gets involved. That’s how I like my basketball.”
- Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron (Substack link) examines Shaedon Sharpe‘s four-year extension as well as Toumani Camara‘s four-year extension and what moves the front office might have in store in the near future, including a potential extension for Avdija.
Pistons Notes: Gores, Cunningham, Thompson, Cavs Loss
Pistons owner Tom Gores believes the team’s players and coaches are “fully aligned” after last season’s surprise run to a playoff berth, according to Pistons.com’s Keith Langlois.
“There’s alignment,” Gores said. “There’s tremendous alignment between the players and what they’re trying to accomplish, the coaching staff and (J.B. Bickerstaff). We are fully aligned. I’m sleeping much better at night knowing that. Nobody is laying low on what we did last year. Last year we came out with great urgency, a chip on our shoulder and we won. It’s great, but we’ve go to come in with a bigger chip and great urgency. I think it’s right down from Trajan (Langdon)‘s front office folks to the coaching staff to the players. There’s a huge opportunity for the Pistons to do a lot of special things.”
Gores attended the team’s home opener on Sunday afternoon and spoke with the media prior to its win over Boston. The franchise has generally floundered since he took control of the franchise but Gores believes he’s finally got the right front office and coaching staff to produce a consistent winner.
“I was thinking today driving in, it’s been a decade, really, trying to get to where we are today,” he said, per Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press. “It’s taken a lot of patience and a lot of hard times. It feels great. I feel like we’re set up to be a machine. I feel like we’re set up to be a sustainable winner. But I’m also nervous, we have to win.”
We have more on the Pistons:
- Can Cade Cunningham work his way into the Most Valuable Player conversation? If the Pistons can build off last season’s success, Cunningham believes it’s possible, he told ESPN’s Vincent Goodwill. “If I can help get this team to where my goal is to get this team this season, all this stuff will be on the way,” he said. “I’m not shy to say that. I think that’s very possible.”
- Ausar Thompson averaged 4.7 assists during the team’s first three games. Bickerstaff believes that Thompson can develop into a reliable play-maker during his third year in the league. “That was part of the plan,” Bickerstaff said. “We go back and you try to study every summer, try to figure out ways to help guys improve, and ways to help your team improve. We noticed, obviously, how many good things happen when we put the ball in Ausar’s hands. … The next step for him was the ball in his hands as a playmaker. Being that Swiss army knife that we knew he was capable of.”
- The Pistons’ three-game winning streak was halted on Monday by the Cavaliers, who blew them out by a score of 116-95. Bickerstaff isn’t overly concerned with the team’s clunker against an elite club. “They’re a good defensive team. We just had a rough night (Monday),” he said. “We turned the ball over 26 times. It’s hard moving your offense when you’re turning the basketball over. But it’s one night – we’ll be better.”
- The Pistons host Orlando on Wednesday. Thompson is questionable to play because of an illness, Hunter Patterson of The Athletic tweets.
- In case you missed it, the Pistons picked up their rookie scale options for 2026/27 on three players. Get the details here.
Southeast Notes: Young, Magic, Miller, Hornets, Heat
The Hawks opted not to pursue contract extensions with stars Trae Young or Kristaps Porzingis ahead of the 2025/26 season, deciding instead to assess the fit of the roster in the coming months before determining whether to commit long-term to their current core. Although Young admitted late last month that he was a little disappointed about entering training camp without a new deal in place, he told Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN he’s not stressing about the situation.
“I think it’s going to be great. I’m not worried about it,” Young said. “As much as I wish it was, it’s not all in my hands and I can’t control everything. I just can only control the present. And I know if we win, everybody eats … I understand what winning can do. If certain things don’t go my way as far as injuries, health and stuff that I can’t control, that may be the man above telling me there’s another plan for me. I’m focused on making sure all my guys, (head coach) Quin (Snyder) included, get taken care of and succeed.”
The Hawks have dealt with some health issues to open the season, but had three starters back in the lineup on Monday, as Jalen Johnson (right ankle sprain), Porzingis (flu-like symptoms), and Zaccharie Risacher (right ankle sprain) all returned from brief absences. It wasn’t enough to beat the Bulls though, as Atlanta fell 128-123 to drop to 1-3 in the first week of the season.
Still, Young expressed to Youngmisuk that he’s bullish about the amount of talent on the Hawks’ new-look roster, as well as the opportunity to play alongside a big man like Porzingis.
“I haven’t had a guy like him in the NBA,” Young said. “So I think you’ll be able to really see what different things that I can do with a guy that can pick and pop and spread the defense, spread the five man out to 30 feet. I think you’ll be able to see a lot of different things that I haven’t been able to show in the past, too. Hopefully this year I get a lot more catch-and-shoot shots, something that a lot people don’t think I can do.”
Here’s more from around the Southeast:
- Atlanta isn’t the only Southeast team off to a slow start after upgrading its roster this offseason. The Magic lost a third straight game on Monday, prompting Josh Robbins of The Athletic and Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (subscription required) to explore whether the club will be able to play the uptempo style of offense it wants to while maintaining its defensive identity. “I think you can do both,” Magic guard Jalen Suggs said. “… A lot of what we’re talking about and trying to put emphasis on is getting out, playing fast, getting good looks, crashing (the offensive boards) … It just takes being very detailed and a concerted effort to then get back on defense after all that and sit down and get stops.”
- Hornets forward Brandon Miller is seeking a second opinion on his injured shoulder, NBA insider Chris Haynes said during an appearance on The Association on NBA TV (Twitter video link). Miller’s injury – a left shoulder subluxation – is one that can be treated either surgically or non-surgically depending on the severity, so he and the Hornets are likely weighing all his options as they consider the best path forward for the former No. 2 overall pick.
- Exploring whether the Heat have a case for compensation after not being informed of an NBA investigation into Terry Rozier before they acquired him from the Hornets in January 2024, Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald speaks to ESPN’s Bobby Marks about what Marks calls an “unprecedented situation.” The Hornets haven’t said one way or another whether they knew about the investigation into unusual betting related to Rozier when they made the deal. “It’s a gray area that I think the league is going to have to look long and hard at,” Marks told Chiang. “When players are being investigated and are part of trade discussions, do they have the authority and morality to disclose that information? Because on the other end, legal will say, ‘Well, wait a minute. If we disclose it and the guy is not guilty, then we’ve just harmed the trade.'” Marks added that the Heat are “highly unlikely” to recoup the first-round pick they gave up for Rozier.
And-Ones: Payne, Fernando, Free Agents, Breakout Candidates
After being waived by the Pacers earlier this month, veteran point guard Cameron Payne reportedly received strong interest from KK Partizan, a EuroLeague-team based in Belgrade, Serbia. However, according to veteran NBA insider Marc Stein (Twitter link), Payne has opted to forgo overseas opportunities for now and will remain stateside in order to seek out his next NBA opportunity.
A 10-year NBA veteran who has earned regular playing time in Phoenix, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, and New York in recent years, Payne appeared in 72 games for the Knicks last season, averaging 6.9 points and 2.8 assists in 15.1 minutes per night while shooting 40.1% from the floor, including 36.3% from beyond the three-point line.
Payne received a training camp invitation from Indiana this fall but didn’t make a strong case in the preseason for a regular season roster spot, shooting just 28.6% from the field and registering nearly as many turnovers (six) as assists (seven).
We have more from around the basketball world:
- While Payne apparently won’t be headed to Belgrade, another NBA veteran is set to join KK Partizan. As Javier Molero of Eurohoops relays, big man Bruno Fernando is signing with the Serbian club to fortify its frontcourt. Fernando, whose last stop was Real Madrid, made 220 regular season appearances in the NBA for four teams from 2019-25. He played in 17 games last season for the Raptors, but has been out of the league since being waived by Toronto in January.
- Even though the 2025/26 season is now underway, there are still several notable players who finished last season on NBA rosters and remain unsigned. Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report ranks the top 10 players who fit that bill, with Malik Beasley, Ben Simmons, and Precious Achiuwa topping his list.
- Jeremy Woo of ESPN identifies his top five breakout candidates for the 2025/26 season, including Celtics wing Payton Pritchard, Pistons center Jalen Duren, and Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard.
Pacers’ Toppin Out At Least One Month, Mathurin Week To Week
A pair of key Pacers rotation players will be unavailable for the foreseeable future, according to head coach Rick Carlisle, who said on Tuesday that forward Obi Toppin will be out for at least one month as a result of his right hamstring strain, while guard Bennedict Mathurin is considered “week to week” due to a right great toe sprain, per Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star.
The Pacers entered their opener last week preparing to be without star point guard Tyrese Haliburton for the entire season as he recovers from an Achilles tear and have since added several new names to their injury report.
Toppin sustained his injury during Sunday’s loss in Minnesota, while Mathurin’s occurred in Saturday’s loss in Memphis when he tripped over Jock Landale‘s foot on his way to the basket. According to Carlisle, both players will undergo more testing when the Pacers return home following the last game of their road trip on Wednesday in Dallas.
“I can’t give you a definitive answer with either guy,” Carlisle said. “But they’re gonna miss some time.”
According to Carlisle, Andrew Nembhard (left shoulder strain) did some “court work” on Tuesday but isn’t ready to play yet, while Taelon Peter (right groin strain) is “doing better” but is “not there yet” either. Johnny Furphy (left foot soreness) will undergo additional testing on his foot when the team returns to Indianapolis, Carlisle added.
T.J. McConnell (left hamstring strain) and Kam Jones (lower back stress reaction) were doing some work near the end of Tuesday’s practice, tweets Dopirak, though the Pacers have previously indicated that both players will be out until at least November 9.
With injuries hitting the team hard at virtually every position except center, the Pacers made a roster move on Tuesday, waiving big man James Wiseman to add guard Mac McClung. As Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files tweets, Indiana should soon qualify for at least one hardship exception as well.
A hardship exception allows a team to temporarily exceed the standard 15-man roster limit if at least four players have missed three consecutive games for health reasons and are expected to remain out for at least two more weeks. Players signed via the hardship exception receive 10-day contracts.
Atlantic Notes: Nets, Powell, Wolf, Oubre, Watford, Robinson
The members of the Nets‘ organization who are prioritizing a “good pick” in the 2026 draft likely aren’t overly upset about the team’s 0-4 start, but head coach Jordi Fernandez wasn’t pleased with the compete level he saw from his club in a blowout loss to Houston on Monday, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post.
“I need consistency and urgency. And that’s got to be like something that we cannot decide if we’re doing it or not,” Fernandez said. “It’s a matter of who we want to be, right? Giving up 42 (first-quarter points) to start, it’s not great. It’s just unacceptable to take an NBA game for granted. And our guys are trying. They just don’t know how much harder and focused they can do things. And I believe they’ll keep taking those steps. A lot of it is just lack of experience.”
Only two of the Nets’ five 2025 first-round picks were active in Houston, with Egor Demin (plantar fascia) ruled out and Drake Powell and Danny Wolf assigned to the G League. Still, seven of the 12 players who saw the floor for Brooklyn are under 25 years old, and three others are just 26.
As Lewis writes, the challenge for the Nets as an organization this season will be to lose enough games to get that high draft pick coveted by management and ownership while not establishing the sort of hard-to-break habits that will negatively impact the team’s culture going forward.
“A lot of these teams that try to bottom out by tanking like Brooklyn is doing, they think there’s no consequences,” one player agent told Lewis. “You risk eroding the environment you’re trying to create.”
We have more from around the Atlantic:
- Powell played just two minutes in the Nets‘ opener, while Wolf has yet to make his regular season debut. Both players have been dealing with ankle injuries, but Fernandez suggested on Monday that they’ll likely get a look in the NBA after they spend some time with Long Island in the G League and get healthy. “We have a plan for everybody. Sometimes, those plans have to be made on the go because we didn’t know they’d sprain their ankles,” Fernandez said, per Lewis. “They did. Now, they’re ready to practice. Now, they can get real practices. That’s very good that they can do that, so when we need them, they’re ready to go. I’m very happy with the resources we have, how we use them, and it’s good that they have this practice and then they can help us soon.”
- While the backcourt duo of Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe has deservedly gotten much of the credit for the Sixers‘ hot start head coach Nick Nurse was effusive in his praise for the team’s third-leading scorer, Kelly Oubre Jr., after the forward racked up 25 points and 10 rebounds in Monday’s win over Orlando. As Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports tweets, Nurse raved about Oubre’s defensive versatility and effort on the boards. “Kelly was awesome,” Nurse said. “That was one of Kelly’s best games, if not his best game, as a Sixer. He was awesome from the beginning.” The 29-year-old is on an expiring $8.38MM contract and was considered a possible trade candidate during the offseason.
- Forward Trendon Watford will make his Sixers debut on Tuesday in Washington, reports Tony Jones of The Athletic (Twitter link). Watford, who signed with Philadelphia as a free agent over the summer, has been sidelined since training camp due to a right hamstring injury.
- The Knicks have ruled out center Mitchell Robinson for a fourth straight game to open the season due to left ankle injury maintenance, per Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link). Robinson has yet to play this season despite no indication from the team that he suffered a new injury or a setback this month.
Rookie Scale Option Decisions Due On Friday
The NBA’s transaction wire hasn’t been as busy in the past week as it was leading up to to the regular season, but we can still expect one last flurry of moves in October. The deadline for teams to exercise their 2026/27 team options on rookie scale contracts arrives on Friday (October 31), and several of those decisions have yet to be reported or announced.
Unlike player or team options on veteran contracts, third- and fourth-year options on rookie scale contracts for former first-round picks must be exercised a year in advance. For instance, when the Spurs picked up Victor Wembanyama‘s fourth-year option earlier this month, they were locking in his salary for the 2026/27 season — his ’25/26 salary became guaranteed last October when the team exercised his third-year option.
As our tracker shows, 30 options have been picked up so far, but a number of teams still have decisions to make on players who were first-round picks in 2023 and 2024. Some of those remaining option decisions are no-brainers — the Sixers haven’t yet exercised Jared McCain‘s $4,422,600 option for 2026/27, for instance, but there’s no doubt they’ll do so.
Other decisions are less cut-and-dried. For example, the Knicks must decide whether they want to pick up Pacome Dadiet‘s $2,983,680 fourth-year option for ’26/27. Given New York’s position relative to the tax aprons and the fact that Dadiet has yet to show much at the NBA level, there’s no guarantee the Knicks will lock in that cap hit.
Here’s the list of the 24 option decisions that have yet to be officially finalized:
Atlanta Hawks
- Zaccharie Risacher (third year, $13,826,040)
Boston Celtics
- Baylor Scheierman (third year, $2,744,040)
Charlotte Hornets
- Brandon Miller (fourth year, $15,104,626)
- Tidjane Salaun (third year, $8,237,880)
Golden State Warriors
- Brandin Podziemski (fourth year, $5,679,458)
Houston Rockets
- Amen Thompson (fourth year, $12,258,609)
- Reed Sheppard (third year, $11,108,880)
Los Angeles Clippers
- Kobe Brown (fourth year, $4,792,058)
New York Knicks
- Pacome Dadiet (third year, $2,983,680)
Orlando Magic
- Anthony Black (fourth year, $10,106,315)
- Jett Howard (fourth year, $7,337,938)
- Tristan Da Silva (third year, $3,991,200)
Philadelphia 76ers
- Jared McCain (third year, $4,422,600)
Utah Jazz
Taylor Hendricks (fourth year, $7,805,900)- Keyonte George (fourth year, $6,563,925)
- Cody Williams (third year, $6,015,600)
- Brice Sensabaugh (fourth year, $4,862,237)
- Isaiah Collier (third year, $2,763,960)
Washington Wizards
- Alex Sarr (third year, $12,370,680)
- Bilal Coulibaly (fourth year, $9,240,012)
- Cam Whitmore (fourth year, $5,458,310)
- Bub Carrington (third year, $4,900,560)
- AJ Johnson (third year, $3,237,120)
- Kyshawn George (third year, $3,108,000)
Pistons Pick Up 2026/27 Options On Three Players
The Pistons have exercised their 2026/27 rookie scale team options on the following three players, according to RealGM’s official NBA transaction log:
- Ausar Thompson (fourth year, $11,117,925)
- Ron Holland (third year, $9,069,600)
- Marcus Sasser (fourth year, $5,198,983)
The Pistons actually made the moves last week, but didn’t formally announce them on social media or on their website. Their decisions had been due by October 31.
Thompson, the fifth overall pick in the 2023 draft, is a breakout candidate in Detroit this season. The 6’7″ wing had one of his best all-around games as a pro in Sunday’s win over Boston, notes Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press, with 21 points, 12 rebounds, three assists, two steals, and a game-high +15 plus/minus mark. He’s averaging 14.3 PPG, 6.5 RPG, and 3.5 APG through the team’s first four games.
Holland, 2024’s No. 5 pick, appeared in all but one of the Pistons’ games as a rookie last season and figures to play a crucial role off the bench in ’25/26 too. Through his first four outings, he has increased his scoring average to 12.0 PPG on .457/.313/.846 shooting while also contributing 3.5 RPG, 2.0 APG, and 1.8 SPG in 21.3 MPG.
Sasser, 25, made 57 appearances last season and averaged 6.6 PPG and 2.3 APG, with a .463/.382/.843 shooting line. The third-year guard, who was drafted 25th overall in 2023, has yet to play this season due to a right hip impingement.
All three players now have guaranteed salaries for the 2026/27 season, with Thompson and Sasser on track to become eligbile for rookie scale extensions during the 2026 offseason. The Pistons’ next decision on Holland will come a year from now, when they’ll have to either pick up or turn down his $11.49MM fourth-year option for ’27/28.
Celtics Notes: Simons, Minott, Brown, Gonzalez
Anfernee Simons enjoyed his best game since joining the Celtics in Monday’s win at New Orleans, writes Souichi Terada of MassLive. Boston hasn’t needed Simons to be the primary scorer like he was in Portland, so he has been adjusting to a new role as well as a new team. He delivered a vintage performance against the Pelicans with 25 points off the bench, including six three-pointers, in 32 minutes.
“It’s been for sure a transition, but I’ve been enjoying it,” Simons said (YouTube video link). “Just asking a different side of me. I’ve been trying to, each and every day, improve on things I need to improve on to help the team win. It’s been fun, for sure, learning from each and every game. Applying to the next game, seeing what you can do better. Maybe be more aggressive.”
Terada notes that Simons has talked about winning and making himself a more complete player since the trade with the Trail Blazers was announced. He has accepted a reserve role without complaining and is working to improve defensively.
“He’s just a graceful guy and he just wants to win and he wants to be a part of something,” coach Joe Mazzulla said. “So you just have to balance that. But you kind of saw tonight obviously what he’s been able to do in this league for a long time. It’s on me to make sure that he feels comfortable. It’s on his teammates to get the best version of him like we did tonight.”
There’s more on the Celtics:
- Josh Minott delivered 15 points and nine rebounds as he started Monday for the first time in his NBA career, per Brian Robb of MassLive. Minott had a strong performance in the fourth quarter Sunday against Detroit, and Mazzulla rewarded him with a start as the team’s rotation continues to evolve. Boston outscored New Orleans by 42 points in Minott’s 28 minutes on the court. “It’s just been exciting,” he said. “I don’t really even know how to put it into words. … I’m still kind of high on life from the game right now but the opportunity to be out there and contribute to winning and the team’s success, I can’t take that for granted.”
- Jaylen Brown has been dealing with a strained left hamstring, but even though Monday was the second night of a back-to-back, he was determined not to miss any games until the Celtics started winning, Terada states in a separate story. A lopsided victory gave him the luxury of limited playing time, and he finished with 15 points and seven rebounds in 24 minutes. “I had to get on the floor,” he said (YouTube video link). “We had to find a way to get the win, so I was going to play until we figured that part out. From my body standpoint, just managing it. Just trying to stay within myself, not overextend myself too much. I’ve had some hamstring injuries in the past, so it’s given me some good information to still be effective without using too much explosiveness or too much athleticism.”
- Mazzulla’s changing lineups can mean radically different roles for players on different nights, notes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe (subscription required). The latest example is rookie forward Hugo Gonzalez, who didn’t play at all Monday after starting Sunday at Detroit. “We have a lot of guys; we have a lot of depth,” Mazzulla said. “We can go to offensive lineups, defensive lineups. I thought (Gonzalez) did a great job in the 18 minutes he was out there. But you also have to think about matchups. He’s answered the call. It really is a testament to where he came from, he’s well developed in the system that he played in.”