And-Ones: Breakout Candidates, Wembanyama, Thornwell
Michael Scotto of HoopsHype polled 20 NBA executives on their top three breakout candidates for the 2022/23 season and found that Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey was the most popular pick. While I’d argue that last season represented a breakout year for Maxey, some executives have far higher expectations for him going forward.
“Maxey’s going to be better than James Harden,” one general manager said to Scotto. “He just keeps getting better and better and will be a huge reason why they have success this season.”
Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton, Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards, Magic forward Franz Wagner, and Rockets guard Jalen Green were among the other popular breakout picks, based on the responses Scotto got from executives. Interestingly, Warriors big man James Wiseman and Pistons forward/center Marvin Bagley III were each picked as this year’s top breakout candidate by one GM.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- In his latest look at the top prospects in the 2023 NBA draft class, David Aldridge of The Athletic passes along several entertaining quotes from NBA executives, including one Eastern Conference exec’s response to whether Scoot Henderson could surpass Victor Wembanyama as next year’s No. 1 pick: “Scoot’s good, but, no. Short of Wembanyama having murdered somebody, there’s just no way.”
- Veteran guard Sindarius Thornwell has signed with Frutti Extra Bursasport, the Turkish team announced this week (via Twitter). Thornwell has appeared in 160 total NBA games and played for New Orleans and Atlanta in 2020/21, but wasn’t in the league last season.
- Longtime NBA referee Tony Brown, who officiated over 1,100 games, including one in the 2020 NBA Finals, passed away on Thursday after a fight with pancreatic cancer, according to his family (story via ESPN.com).
Hawks’ Owner Ressler Talks Murray, Hunter, Expectations
After acquiring Dejounte Murray from San Antonio in a blockbuster trade that saw them give up three first-round picks (two unprotected) and a pick swap, the Hawks expect to be a playoff team and not just a play-in club in 2022/23, team owner Tony Ressler tells Jeff Schultz of The Athletic.
Ressler conducted separate one-on-one interviews with Schultz and Lauren Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution to discuss the Murray trade, his expectations for the team, and a handful of other topics.
The Hawks’ owner stressed in both conversations that the team will have to wait to get to the 20- or 30-game mark to get a real sense of where it stands in the Eastern Conference, but Atlanta got off to a solid start on Wednesday with a 117-107 victory over Houston.
Here are a few of the more notable comments from Ressler’s two interviews, which overlap a little but are worth checking out in full:
On whether there was much internal debate over making the Murray trade:
“Yes, there was a lot of debate. Dejounte is a great player, and we gave up a lot to get him. There wasn’t debate about the quality of Dejounte and what he would bring to the Hawks. And now, our starting five, I think we have a good team. (Wednesday) was only one game, but it did say, ‘Hey, we have four guys who can give you 20 points any night.’ And if that’s an aberration, then we screwed up, but we don’t think it’s an aberration. We’re deeper and better than we were last year.”
On whether the Hawks felt like they were mortgaging their future and opening up a win-now window with the Murray deal:
“I try not to speak that way. That’s not good business talk. Good business talk is, ‘Is this a good trade for us now?’ Not, ‘We have to win now.’ As you point out, that’s a lot for any player, and it’s worthy of evaluation and discussion. After losing in the first round of the playoffs, we saw a lot of things we can do better, and we thought Dejounte would help us do many of those things. And we do still have some picks for the future, so we can still draft young players for the future. We’re not out of that part of the business.”
On why the Hawks felt comfortable signing De’Andre Hunter to a four-year extension worth at least $90MM:
“De’Andre has done everything well. He’s had some bad luck in his first three seasons, health-wise, whatnot, injury wise, but you know what, he’s a kid that can do everything. And he’s a great kid, he’s a great player, wants to get better. And for whatever it’s worth, we believe he’s getting better, continuing to get better and off a pretty high bar. So that’s a kid that you’re thrilled to have here. I actually think he complements the rest of our guys beautifully.”
On the desire to bring an NBA championship to Atlanta:
“Franchises that have won a championship or multiple championships I have grown to respect even more. This is my eighth season, and we still haven’t won a championship. I’m proud of the direction we’re moving in. But to be a great, top-tier NBA franchise, you must win a championship. Some people in our franchise are, ‘We won one in St. Louis.’ I don’t count that. I wasn’t there. I wasn’t born. I don’t give a f–k. Our job is to win a championship or multiple championships, and we’re not there, yet.”
Atlantic Notes: Grimes, Reddish, J. Harris, Harden, Sixers
After Knicks guard Quentin Grimes aggravated his left foot injury during last Friday’s preseason finale, the team doesn’t intend to bring him back until he’s fully pain-free in that foot and not at risk of re-aggravating the injury, writes Ian Begley of SNY.tv.
“He’s got to be able to sustain it,” Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau said. “So if he ramps it up and there’s anything there, it’s basically day-to-day. So just follow the protocol and plan that the trainers have laid out.”
With Grimes out of the rotation, Cam Reddish got an opportunity to play a bigger role in the Knicks’ opener on Wednesday and took full advantage, scoring 22 points off the bench, as Begley details in another SNY.tv. story. It was hugely important performance for Reddish, who is in a contract year and didn’t impress in the preseason.
As Begley observes, Reddish will presumably be given an opportunity to solidify a rotation spot for as long as Grimes remains out. If Reddish continues to play well and Grimes is cleared to play, it will be interesting to see whose rotation spot might be at risk, since the Knicks won’t want to sit Grimes, a Thibodeau favorite.
Here’s more from around the Atlantic:
- Nets sharpshooter Joe Harris will be available on Friday for the first time in nearly a year. Harris, who underwent two ankle surgeries last season and missed this season’s opener due to foot soreness, said he’ll play tonight after being listed as probable, tweets Brian Lewis of The New York Post. The veteran forward last played a regular season game on November 14, 2021.
- After a “workaholic” summer in the gym, Sixers star James Harden feels rejuvenated, he told reporters on Thursday, per Tim Bontemps of ESPN. Hampered by a hamstring issue last season, Harden has looked like his old self after signing a new contract with Philadelphia this summer, averaging 33.0 PPG, 8.0 APG, and 8.0 RPG on 57.9% shooting in two games against tough defenses (Boston and Milwaukee).
- As expected, Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin has sold his 10% stake in the Sixers, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, who says that 76 Devcorp chairman David Adelman bought a “substantial” share of that stake. Adelman’s real estate development company is working on a plan to build a new 76ers arena in downtown Philadelphia, Wojnarowski adds.
Key In-Season NBA Dates, Deadlines For 2022/23
With the 2022/23 NBA season underway, our calendar of important 2022 offseason dates and deadlines can be retired in favor of a list of the key in-season dates for the ’22/23 campaign. Here’s a breakdown of the deadlines and events that will influence player movement for the next several months across the NBA:
October 22
- NBA G League draft.
October 24
- NBA G League training camps open.
October 31
- Deadline for teams to exercise rookie scale options for 2023/24.
November 4
- NBA G League Showcase Cup begins.
December 1
- Priority order for waiver claims is now based on 2022/23 record, rather than 2021/22 record. Teams with the worst records receive the highest waiver priority.
December 15
- Most offseason signees become eligible for inclusion in trades.
December 19-22
- NBA G League Winter Showcase and Showcase Cup championship.
December 27
- NBA G League regular season begins.
January 5
- First day teams can sign players to 10-day contracts.
January 7
- Last day to waive non-guaranteed NBA contracts before they become guaranteed for the rest of the season. Salaries officially guarantee on January 10 if players haven’t cleared waivers before that date.
January 10
- The value of teams’ unused mid-level exceptions and bi-annual exceptions begins to prorate downward by 1/174th per day.
January 15
- Most other offseason signees become eligible for inclusion in trades.
- Last day to apply for a disabled player exception.
January 17
- Last day to waive players on two-way contracts before their salaries become guaranteed for the rest of the season. Salaries officially guarantee on January 20 if players haven’t cleared waivers before that date.
February 1
- Former first-round picks who were stashed overseas may sign rookie scale NBA contracts for the 2023/24 season.
February 9
- Trade deadline (2:00pm CT).
February 17-19
- All-Star Weekend in Salt Lake City.
February 28
- Last day for contract renegotiations.
March 1
- Last day a player can be waived by one team and remain eligible to appear in the postseason for another team.
- Last day for a restricted free agent to sign an offer sheet.
March 10
- Last day to use a disabled player exception.
March 25
- NBA G League regular season ends.
March 28
- NBA G League playoffs begin.
April 9
- Last day of the NBA regular season.
- Last day players can sign contracts for 2022/23.
- Last day two-way contracts can be converted to standard NBA contracts.
- Luxury tax penalties calculated based on payroll as of this day.
April 10
- Playoff rosters set (2:00pm CT).
April 11-14
- NBA play-in tournament.
April 15
- NBA playoffs begin.
Larry Coon’s Salary Cap FAQ and NBA.com were used in the creation of this post.
Lakers Notes: LeBron, Roster, Westbrook, Ham, Cannady
After making just 10-of-40 three-pointers in their regular season opener on Tuesday, the Lakers were even worse on Thursday, hitting 9-of-45 in a loss to the Clippers. LeBron James, who acknowledged the team’s lack of “lasers” following Tuesday’s loss, didn’t want to focus on that roster hole again on Thursday, as Dave McMenamin of ESPN writes.
“I’m definitely not going to sit here and harp on what we can’t do every single game,” James said when asked about the Lakers’ shooting struggles. “That’s not a leader. What I know we can do? We can defend our ass off. We did that tonight, which gave us an opportunity to win and we just couldn’t make it happen. But, I’m OK with that.”
James expects the shooting numbers to improve, since the Lakers obviously will make more than 22.4% of their three-point attempts this season. However, he admitted that the team can’t afford to live and die on whether those outside shots are falling.
“If we’re reliant on (solid three-point shooting) every single game, then we’re in trouble,” James said, per McMenamin. “So I’m not worried about that or thinking about that. It’s how hard we play, how aggressive we play, how determined we are to go out and compete every night. And we got to defend. When we defend, we’re going to give ourselves a good chance to win.”
Here’s more on the Lakers:
- Russell Westbrook played solid defense and had five steals on Thursday, but went 0-for-11 from the floor and scored just two points. Clippers forward Paul George defended his former teammate after the game, as Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN relays (via Twitter). “It’s hard when you’ve got the pressure they’re putting on him here. Quite frankly, it’s not geared for him with the roster they have,” George said. “… He was very easily a 30-10-10 guy when he had the keys to the team. We can’t forget about that.”
- After Westbrook said that coming off the bench “absolutely” was a factor in his minor hamstring injury last Friday, he and head coach Darvin Ham spoke about the issue and reached an “understanding,” Ham told reporters prior to Thursday’s game (link via McMenamin). Although Ham was fine with Westbrook saying what he did, the Lakers’ coach stressed that he and his staff “would in no way, shape or form put a player or an employee in harm’s way.”
- In a conversation with Marc J. Spears of Andscape about being a first-time head coach with the Lakers, Ham said it will take some time for the new-look roster to get comfortable with each other — and with his system. “Chemistry is not like Malt-O-Meal. It’s not instant,” Ham said. “You don’t just throw it in the microwave. That is something that has to be baked over the course of time and we’ll get there. The more we keep getting the reps in when we are about to practice and shoot around, film work, we’ll get to the point where we know each other and it’s second nature the way we play basketball. That definitely is the goal, and it takes time. Just got to be willing to be patient.”
- The South Bay Lakers – L.A.’s G League affiliate – have acquired Devin Cannady‘s NBAGL rights from the Lakeland Magic, the team announced in a press release. Cannady was waived by Orlando last weekend after not making the team’s regular season roster.
Northwest Notes: Dozier, Murray, McCollum, Lillard, Sexton, Gobert
PJ Dozier will start the season with the Timberwolves’ NBA G League affiliate, the Iowa Wolves, Darren Wolfson of KSTP tweets. Minnesota waived Dozier, who was on an Exhibit 10 contract, on Saturday as the team pared its roster to the 15-man limit. The former Denver wing tore his ACL last December and didn’t appear in any preseason games prior to being waived. Iowa’s opener is in two weeks.
We have more from the Northwest Division:
- The Nuggets lost in their opener and Jamal Murray had only 12 points and one assist in 26 minutes but he was just thrilled to be in action again after missing all of last season while rehabbing an ACL tear, Mike Singer of the Denver Post writes. “I know I’m smiling,” he said. “We lost. I’ve never smiled in a loss before.”
- Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard signed a two-year, super max extension over the summer and former teammate CJ McCollum believes Lillard wants to establish a lasting legacy in Portland, as he told Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. “I think that’s one of the reasons why he’s been so committed to being in Portland to break all the records, show his loyalty to win, and to continue to try and build a lasting legacy,” McCollum said. “I think he’s done all those things. People will say what they want about him, but he really works on his game, and he really cares about the game of basketball.”
- Collin Sexton had 20 points in his Jazz debut after his final season in Cleveland was cut short by a knee injury. Utah surprised Denver in the opener and Sexton feels his new teammates will continue to open some eyes, according to Tony Jones of The Athletic. “We’ve heard a lot about what we are supposed to be,” said Sexton, who received a four-year, $72MM contract in the sign-and-trade transaction. “But, we all have a lot to prove and we all want to embrace the role of being the underdog. We want to come out and surprise some people.”
- Rudy Gobert said it will be “weird” to face his former Jazz teammates on Friday, Chris Hine of the Minneapolis Star Tribune writes. “It’s all love for me,” the Timberwolves center said. “You know, I want to see these guys succeed and I’m sure they want to see me succeed, too.”
Central Notes: Murphy, Garland, Oguche, Haliburton
Pistons assistant general manager Rob Murphy has been put on leave as the organization investigates an allegation of workplace misconduct regarding a former female employee, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports. Murphy’s leave began approximately a week ago.
Murphy was hired as an assistant GM this offseason after serving as the Pistons’ G League president and general manager since March 2021. He had spent the previous two decades as a college coach, including 10 years at Eastern Michigan as its head coach.
We have more from the Central Division:
- Cavaliers guard Darius Garland, who suffered a left eyelid laceration in Wednesday’s loss to the Raptors, was examined at the Cleveland Clinic Cole Eye Institute, according to Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Garland has no structural damage and will not need surgery. He will be re-evaluated over the next couple of days, Fedor adds in a tweet.
- The Cavaliers and Rock Entertainment Group have named Susan Oguche as their Executive VP and Chief Communications Officer, Marc J. Spears of ESPN tweets.
- Tyrese Haliburton wants to establish himself as one of the league’s top guards, he told Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic. “Being an All-Star would be amazing,” the Pacers guard said. “I obviously would want to play on a championship team. But it would be exciting for me to be an All-Star. It would mean a lot to me and my family.”
Southwest Notes: Aldama, Morant, Wood, Johnson
Santi Aldama delivered a big performance in his first NBA start for the Grizzlies, Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal notes. Filling in for injured Jaren Jackson Jr., the 2021 first round pick supplied 18 points and 11 rebounds in 39 minutes while guarding the Knicks’ Julius Randle. “It was more about knowing his game, knowing his tendencies and being ready to absorb contact,” Aldama said. “It’s not easy, but I think I did a pretty good job overall.”
We have more from the Southwest Division:
- Ja Morant signed a five-year max extension this summer after being named the league’s Most Improved Player. The Grizzlies’ star guard now has the Most Valuable Player in his sights, as he told ESPN’s Malika Andrews on the NBA Today show (Twitter link). “MVP for sure,” he said. “I’m not an individual goal guy but that’s … pretty much everyone’s goal in this league.”
- The Mavericks’ collapse against Phoenix in their season opener was a downer but Christian Wood‘s performance was uplifting, Tim Cato of The Athletic writes. Acquired from Houston early in the summer, Wood showed he might be Luka Doncic‘s best co-star to date while pumping in 25 points. “It’s just a trust thing,” Wood said. “I have to build my trust on this new team. Once I do that, I’m good.”
- The Spurs waived Alize Johnson late in training camp but they still want him in their organization. The G League’s Austin Spurs acquired his returning player rights from Toronto’s affiliate, Raptors 905, in exchange for Jaylen Morris, Ky Bowman and Jarrod Uthoff, Blake Murphy of Sportsnet tweets.
Warriors Notes: Green, Thompson, Wiggins, Rotation
Klay Thompson and Draymond Green are being eased into the season but that will change in the near future, Anthony Slater of The Athletic tweets. Thompson had 18 points in 20 minutes and Green added four points, five rebounds and five assists in 25 minutes against the Lakers in the opener. The minutes restrictions on them will be lifted in a couple of weeks, according to Warriors coach Steve Kerr.
We have more on the Warriors:
- Thompson heard of a report that he planned to retire after two more seasons. He shot that down, Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area tweets. “There’s a report out there – I have no intention of retiring in 2024. If you write some dumb (stuff) like that, be held accountable,” he said. “That’s crazy. Just because I didn’t play 5-on-5 doesn’t mean I’m gonna retire. That is absurd.” Thompson, whose current contract expires in 2024, was addressing comments made by Connor Letourneau of the San Francisco Chronicle during a radio interview on KNBR.
- Andrew Wiggins has a feeling of contentment after signing a four-year extension, Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic writes. “I feel like here — you know, some people will say like, ‘We’re all just one big family.’ But they don’t really say that here. They just show it,” he said. “You know what I mean? They just show it. Families love to be here because they treat everyone so good, like a top-notch organization. And these guys, everyone wants to win, we’re all on the same page, from top to bottom. We all want to see each other succeed. It gives me peace.”
- The Warriors showed their depth with an 11-man rotation in the season opener. It won’t be easy to fit all those players into the rotation throughout the season, Slater notes, but Stephen Curry believes each player can continue to contribute until the postseason. “You have 11 guys that probably deserve the opportunity to play and are going to be key for us to be the team that we want to be throughout the regular season and then identify what the best rotation is come playoff time,” he said.
Atlantic Notes: Sixers, Vonleh, Simmons, Irving
The Sixers lost to the Celtics in their opener but they see a long playoff run in their future, Tim Bontemps of ESPN writes. They believe they have more talent around superstar Joel Embiid than ever before, due to the front office’s moves this offseason.
“There’s no weak links around the horn,” said P.J. Tucker, the Sixers’ top free agent acquisition. “You want to [pick on] somebody? Go ahead. We got everybody.”
We have more from the Atlantic Division:
- Due to Robert Williams‘ knee issues, Noah Vonleh has become a key member of the Celtics‘ frontcourt for the time being. As Jay King of The Athletic notes, Vonleh is just six months removed from a stint in China. The opportunity to play in the NBA again has made Vonleh more appreciative of his current status. “It made me even hungrier,” he said. “I feel like I’ve got a pretty good work ethic, but being out of there I was just wondering why and questioning certain things. But it just made me more motivated and made me work a lot harder.” Vonleh has a one-year, non-guaranteed veteran’s minimum contract with Boston.
- The stat line for Ben Simmons in his return to action after a season off was unimpressive. He posted four points, five rebounds and five assists before fouling out in 23 minutes. Nets head coach Steve Nash attributes that performance to the long layoff, Nick Friedell of ESPN tweets. “I just think he’s rusty. The guy hasn’t played in over a year,” Nash said. “He’s still getting used to referees, defense, offense. This is a process for Ben … He’s shown obviously glimpses of the player we know he is and can be, but it’s not easy. We’re here to support him.”
- Kevin Durant‘s trade request during the summer turned out to be a test and Kyrie Irving believes the Nets are better for it, he told Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium. “When Kev made that request, I feel like we got better,” Irving said. “Afterwards. Not initially, but now where we are now, I feel like we can honestly say we got better, with the principles that are needed for success. Without going through some test in the summertime or during the season, we wouldn’t be able to be as close and bonded as we are now.”