Injury Notes: Sexton, Bucks, Pokusevski, Celtics
Jazz guard Collin Sexton, who strained his left hamstring in the team’s final game before the All-Star break, still hasn’t played since participating in the Skills Challenge on All-Star Saturday in Salt Lake City.
According to Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter link), Sexton will be reevaluated next Monday, as Utah continues to rule him out one week at a time. He has missed the Jazz’s last five games and will be sidelined for at least three more, with the team playing in Dallas (on Tuesday), Orlando (Thursday), and Charlotte (Saturday) this week.
Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:
- The Bucks will be without All-Stars Giannis Antetokounmpo (non-COVID illness) and Jrue Holiday (neck soreness) when they visit Orlando on Tuesday, tweets Eric Nehm of The Athletic. However, there has been no indication that either ailment should be a long-term issue.
- Thunder forward Aleksej Pokusevski was briefly assigned to the Oklahoma City Blue to practice with the G League team as he recovers from the left leg fracture that has kept him on the shelf since late December, per Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman (Twitter links). Pokusevski will probably assigned and recalled for practice purposes a few more times, Mussatto adds, noting that the 21-year-old’s return isn’t imminent quite yet.
- Jayson Tatum (left knee contusion) and Al Horford (low back stiffness) both missed the Celtics‘ double overtime loss to Cleveland on Monday. As Tim Bontemps of ESPN observes (via Twitter), Horford played 45 minutes on Sunday and still hasn’t played both ends of a back-to-back set this season, so his absence came as no surprise. Tatum sustained his injury in a collision on Sunday.
New York Notes: Knicks, Quickley, Noel, Nets
Two years ago, the Knicks followed up a successful, expectation-defying regular season with a quick playoff exit, as they fell in five games to Atlanta. This year’s team, which has also gotten hot after a shaky start, bears some similarities to that 2020/21 squad. However, forward Julius Randle is higher on the current Knicks’ ceiling.
“I think we’re a better team,” Randle said, per Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. “More talented team.”
As Bondy points out, the ’20/21 version of the Knicks rode the NBA’s fourth-best defense to a 41-31 season, but ranked just 22nd on offense. This year’s club is more balanced, ranking in the top half of the league in both offense and defense and posting the NBA’s seventh-best net rating to date. While it remains to be seen whether that balance will translate to postseason success, RJ Barrett believes the team will be better prepared for the playoffs than it was in 2021.
“Looking back and thinking back about that series (vs. Atlanta), there are things we could have done better,” Barrett said. “Experience now will help us as well. Hopefully when we get there. So that was a good series for us to know what to expect.”
Here’s more on the NBA’s two New York teams:
- Immanuel Quickley‘s breakout season has strengthened his case for a rookie scale extension during the 2023 offseason, writes Zach Braziller of The New York Post. In an effort to gauge Quickley’s value, Braziller spoke to ESPN cap expert Bobby Marks, who speculated that a deal in the range of De’Andre Hunter‘s extension with Atlanta (four years, $90MM, plus $5MM in incentives) might be about right for the Knicks guard. On the other hand, holding off on a new deal for Quickley would put the team in position to maximize its 2024 cap room. “I think the next month-and-a-half and the playoffs will determine if the value of an extension outweighs prioritizing cap space,” Marks told Braziller.
- Oddsmakers have made Quickley the new frontrunner to win the Sixth Man of the Year award this season, moving him ahead of Celtics guard Malcolm Brogdon, notes Cole Huff of The Athletic.
- After signing a 10-day contract, Nerlens Noel said he’ll bring “energy” to the Nets and that he’s willing to play whatever role head coach Jacque Vaughn asks of him. “This is already a top-10 defense, I’m pretty sure, especially with what they have, so I’m going to put it over the top,” Noel said, per Brian Lewis of The New York Post (Twitter links). “And however coach sees fit into what position he wants to put me in, I’ll accept regardless.”
- In a normal season, Vaughn would wait until near the end of the season to start to ramp up his starters’ minutes in preparation for the playoffs, but he’s doing it a bit earlier this year to try to give his newcomers more time together, as Andrew Crane of The New York Post relays. Mikal Bridges, for instance, has played over 40 minutes in each of Brooklyn’s last two games. “In the past … we’ve played our guys not as many minutes, and then as the playoffs start to come around, we wanted to ramp those guys up so they can play, quote-unquote, playoff minutes,” Vaughn explained. “I’m trying to hedge that a little bit with the short time between regular season and this group being together and playoffs.”
Blazers’ Ibou Badji Undergoes Left Knee Surgery
Trail Blazers center Ibou Badji, who is on a two-way contract with the team, isn’t expected to make his NBA debut this season.
According to a press release from the Blazers, Badji underwent left knee surgery on Monday and will miss the next eight weeks. The team specified that Badji’s procedure was an arthroscopic patellar chondroplasty and debridement.
The NBA’s regular season will end in less than five weeks and Badji’s two-way contract makes him ineligible to participate in the postseason even if the Blazers do make the playoffs, so it’s highly unlikely he’ll take the court this season.
A 7’1″ Senegalese center with a 7’9″ wingspan, Badji played in Spain from 2019-22 and joined the Wisconsin Herd (the Bucks’ G League club) to begin the 2022/23 campaign. In seven games with the Herd, the 20-year-old averaged 7.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks in 17.6 minutes per contest, impressing the Blazers with his ability to protect the rim. Portland signed him to a two-way deal in November.
Because the Blazers are one of the NBA’s only teams without a G League affiliate of their own, Badji didn’t play any more NBAGL games after joining Portland.
The big man could have suited up for the Blazers or been assigned to another team’s G League affiliate, but he has been listed on the injury report since January 24 due to left knee soreness. Monday’s procedure was presumably aimed at alleviating that soreness and directly addressing the ailment in his knee.
Badji’s two-way contract expires at season’s end, so he’ll be eligible for restricted free agency this summer if he finishes the year with Portland.
Kenrich Williams Undergoes Wrist Surgery, Out For Season
MARCH 7: The Thunder formally confirmed that Williams underwent surgery on Tuesday morning in New York to repair the scapholunate ligament in his left wrist. He’ll miss the rest of this season and will be ready for the start of 2023/24, per the team.
MARCH 2: Kenrich Williams suffered a wrist injury in Tuesday’s game that will require surgery and he is expected to miss the rest of the 2022/23 season, the Thunder announced in a press release.
Williams has been diagnosed with a scapholunate ligament rupture in his left wrist. The injury was originally listed as a sprain, and he was inactive for Wednesday’s game.
The 28-year-old swingman is averaging 8.0 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.0 assists through 53 games while shooting 51.7% from the field. He also leads the NBA in charges drawn with 26.
Williams is expected to make a full recovery following surgery, according to the Thunder.
He is under contract through 2025/26 with a team option for the following season, having signed a four-year extension with Oklahoma City last summer. That contract will begin next season and will bump Williams’ salary from $2MM to $6.175MM.
Bulls Re-Sign Justin Lewis To Two-Way Contract
The Bulls have officially brought back undrafted rookie forward Justin Lewis on a two-way contract, the team announced today in a press release. The signing became official on Monday, per NBA.com’s transaction log.
A former Marquette standout, Lewis had a breakout sophomore season in 2021/22, averaging 16.8 PPG and 7.9 RPG in 32 games (32.2 MPG) for the Golden Eagles. Although he wasn’t selected on draft night, he quickly caught on with the Bulls on a two-way contract and played for Chicago’s Summer League team in Las Vegas in July.
However, Lewis suffered a knee injury during an August workout that was later diagnosed as an ACL issue requiring surgery. The 20-year-old stayed under contract with the Bulls until the end of the preseason, at which point he was waived to make room for new two-way signee Kostas Antetokounmpo. Reporting at the time indicated that Lewis would remain around the team while he went through his rehab process, using Chicago’s facilities.
Now, with just over a month left to go in the 2022/23 regular season, Lewis is back under contract with the Bulls. It has been less than seven months since he went under the knife following his ACL injury, so it’s unclear whether the 6’8″ forward is actually ready to suit up for Chicago or the team’s G League affiliate (the Windy City Bulls) down the stretch.
However, the fact that the Bulls brought back Lewis for the final few weeks of this season suggests that the organization remains high on him, so he could be in the team’s future plans. We don’t know yet whether his two-way deal will just be for the rest of this season or whether it will cover 2023/24 as well.
Chicago recently promoted two-way player Carlik Jones to its standard roster, so Lewis will fill the open spot previously occupied by Jones.
Community Shootaround: Western Conference Play-In Race
The Western Conference standings have been bunched up for much of the 2022/23 season, but a Portland win and a New Orleans loss helped push the congestion in the play-in race to a new level on Monday night.
The Jazz, Trail Blazers, Lakers, and Pelicans now own matching 31-34 records, tying them for the Nos. 9 through 12 spots in the West. The No. 13 Thunder, at 30-34, are a half-game back of that quartet.
There’s also still a logjam a little higher in the standings. The 34-31 Warriors currently control the No. 5 seed in the conference, but they only lead the 34-32 Timberwolves by a half-game and the Mavericks (33-32) and Clippers (34-33) by one game apiece.
The Mavs and Clips have a two-game cushion on those four teams tied at 31-34, but both clubs have been inconsistent in recent weeks, so it’s not as either one has an iron grip on a top-eight seed.
With just over a month left in the regular season, it looks like the race for the West’s six guaranteed playoff spots and four play-in berths will go down to the wire.
On paper, the Lakers and Pelicans would seem to have an edge in the play-in race over the Jazz, Blazers, and Thunder. After all, Utah downgraded its roster at the trade deadline by trading away Mike Conley, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Malik Beasley, and you could argue Portland took a step back too by moving Josh Hart and Gary Payton II. Oklahoma City wasn’t exactly a deadline buyer and hasn’t shown any organizational urgency to make the playoffs this season.
The Lakers, meanwhile, traded away a first-round pick at the deadline to upgrade their roster, and the Pelicans entered the season determined to build on last year’s first-round exit. Both teams are highly motivated to play in the postseason.
Still, the Lakers are missing LeBron James and the Pelicans don’t have Zion Williamson available, so neither club is at full strength. The Blazers aren’t tanking, and if the Jazz and Thunder are, they’re not doing a great job of it so far — All-Stars Lauri Markkanen and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander have helped make sure those two teams have been competitive all season.
Further up the standings, the Warriors, Wolves, Mavs, and Clippers all looked like good bets to make the playoffs entering the season, but all four have had some rocky stretches. Injuries (to Stephen Curry, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Kawhi Leonard, among others) have played a part, but the Wolves (Rudy Gobert), Mavs (Kyrie Irving), and Clippers (trade deadline additions, plus Russell Westbrook) have all had a hard time smoothly assimilating new players, and Golden State’s struggles on defense and in road games have resulted in an up-and-down season.
Strength of schedule could be an important factor in the season’s final weeks. According to Tankathon, the Pelicans, Mavericks, Lakers, and Thunder have some of the easiest schedules (based on opposing winning percentages) the rest of the way, while the Blazers, Jazz, Wolves, and Warriors will face tougher paths. The Clippers are right in the middle.
We want to know what you think.
- Which six teams will clinch guaranteed playoff spots in the West?
- Which four clubs will earn play-in berths?
- Which three current play-in contenders will be left on the outside looking in, and which two teams will be eliminated in the play-in tournament without getting a playoff series?
- Do you expect any of the teams currently outside the top four to move up into that group by catching the Grizzlies (38-25), Kings (38-26), or Suns (36-29)?
Head to the comment section below to share your thoughts and make your predictions!
Central Notes: C. Jones, Dragic, Stevens, Pistons
When they promoted him to their 15-man roster, the Bulls used a portion of their mid-level exception to sign Carlik Jones to a contract that covers two seasons beyond this one, Hoops Rumors has learned.
Jones’ rest-of-season salary ($357,717) is his minimum, but if the Bulls had relied on the minimum salary exception to convert Jones to a standard contract, they would only have been able to tack on one extra year. The mid-level exception allowed them to complete a three-year deal that includes a non-guaranteed minimum salary for 2024/25 ($2,092,344) in addition to a non-guaranteed minimum salary for ’23/24 ($1,927,896).
Jones will receive a partial guarantee of $250K on his 2023/24 salary if he remains under contract through the first day of the regular season this fall. The Bulls guard would have his full salary for next season guaranteed if he’s not waived on or before January 7, 2024.
Here’s more from around the Central:
- Veteran point guard Goran Dragic officially signed with the Bucks on Saturday, but will have his debut with his new team delayed a little due to left knee soreness, writes Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (subscriber story). Once he’s cleared to play, Dragic won’t be expecting to get a certain amount of minutes per game. “I didn’t talk nothing about the role because I understand those guys are the main guys,” Dragic said, referring to his new teammates. “I’m here just to help. So, you know, I’m at that point of my career. I want to win, so I came here and whatever they want me to do I’m going to do it and hopefully we get that ring.”
- Lamar Stevens‘ minutes haven’t been as consistent in recent weeks as they were when he was starting at small forward earlier in the season, but he played a critical role in the fourth quarter and overtime of the Cavaliers’ overtime win over Boston on Monday, per Kelsey Russo of The Athletic. Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said after the game that he “can’t say enough about how proud I am” of Stevens. The Cavs hold a minimum-salary team option on the 25-year-old for next season, which looks like a lock to be exercised.
- Even though the Pistons have lost eight games in a row and 20 of their last 24, morale in the locker room remains high due to the team’s focus on development and growth, according to Mike Curtis of The Detroit News (subscription required). “I know our fans are probably frustrated — which I understand — but we’re in a growth mentality,” head coach Dwane Casey said. “Every day for us is a teaching (moment). Every film session, we hold guys accountable, but we’re positive. We’re teaching and I wish there was a magic wand that says, ‘These guys gotta grow up.’ It doesn’t happen in this league.”
Heat Notes: Martin, Zeller, Love, Haslem
Caleb Martin provided 21 points in 28 minutes off the bench in the Heat‘s victory over Atlanta on Monday. Martin has been a solid contributor all season and his teammates appreciate his hard work, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.
“Caleb has been probably the bright spot on our team,” center Bam Adebayo said. “Through the ups and downs, he’s always been consistent. And he’s one of those guys that you can always rely on. He’s going to play hard. He’s going to try to make the right plays.”
Martin is in the first year of a three-year, $20.4MM contract that includes a player option in 2024/25.
We have more on the Heat:
- Cody Zeller has played seven games since joining the Heat as the backup center last month. Zeller, who was out of the league until Miami picked him up, feels comfortable playing limited minutes, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald writes. “I’m still feeling a little rusty with some of my reads and stuff. But overall, I’ve been pretty pleased with where I’m at. I’m still only playing 15 minutes per game. It’s shorter minutes, so I should be able to play even harder. So yeah, it’s been good so far.”
- Kevin Love missed Monday’s game with a rib contusion but X-rays were negative, Chiang tweets. It’s not considered to be a long-term issue. Love is averaging 7.5 points and 7.3 rebounds in six starts since signing with the club.
- The team has planned a variety of tributes for forward Udonis Haslem, who is retiring after the season. Haslem told Chiang he hopes the Heat can make another playoff run but he won’t have any regrets, regardless of how the season plays out. “I’m done,” Haslem said. “I’m done no matter what happens. I gave my contribution. I think at this stage, there needs to be another voice for these guys. It’s time for somebody to step up and be the voice.”
Ignite’s Leonard Miller Reiterates Plan To Enter Draft
G League Ignite forward Leonard Miller plans to enter this year’s draft, he told Libaan Osman of The Toronto Star.
Miller entered the week as the Ignite’s second leading scorer at 15.1 points per game, trailing only guard Scoot Henderson, the consensus No. 2 prospect in the draft. Miller also led the Ignite at 8.6 rebounds per game. Miller had 16 points and eight rebounds in the Ignite’s loss to Raptors 905 on Monday.
Miller could sneak into the lottery if his stock continues to trend upward. He’s currently ranked No. 22 on ESPN’s Best Available list and No. 4 among power forwards.
The Canadian-born Miller was considered a second-round prospect when he withdrew from last year’s draft. He decided against attending a U.S. college, instead signing with the Ignite in September. He first revealed his plans to enter his name in this year’s draft in late December when he was ranked No. 26 on ESPN’s big board.
Miller had 19 points and eight rebounds in the G League Next Up game during All-Star weekend last month.
“It was one of the best experiences in my life,” Miller said. “I had a lot of fun. It was good to go in there and compete against all the rising stars that are going to change the league in years to come.”
Bulls Notes: DeRozan, Vucevic, DeRozan, Green
Following a crushing three-point home loss to Indiana, DeMar DeRozan admits he’s exasperated with the Bulls’ inability to gain any traction in the Eastern Conference standings, Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times writes.
“It’s beyond frustrating that we lost again,’’ DeRozan said. “It’s overly frustrating to lose, especially when we say it’s a must-win. We’re making our own bed. We can’t complain about it. We’ve got to figure out these last games to dig us out of this hole and put ourselves in a position to make something out of it.’’
We have more on the Bulls:
- Going along with that theme, impending free agent Nikola Vucevic admits it’s tough to imagine things turning around the rest of the season, according to Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic. “It doesn’t really depend on us anymore,” Vucevic said. “I mean, it does. We have to win. But we’re depending on the people in front of us, on how they do. So it’s hard to say after 65 games we didn’t figure it out. It’s tough to believe that something’s just going to (click) like that. We’ll see. We’re going to keep fighting, keep hoping something happens. But it’s obvious we’ve put ourselves in a very difficult spot now.”
- Adding to the frustration is that Zach LaVine has been on his best offensive tear of the season, Cowley notes in a separate story. Over the last 10 games, he’s averaging just under 29 points per game while shooting 51.6% from the field and 42.9% on 3-point attempts. Chicago is 3-7 during that stretch.
- Javonte Green “continues to progress” in his rehab but there’s no timetable for his return, according to a team press release. His status will be updated in approximately two weeks. Green underwent arthroscopic surgery to his right knee on Jan. 11 and coach Billy Donovan acknowledged over the weekend that Green is still struggling to make lateral movements.