Western Notes: Murray, Moody, Powell, Williamson, Missi
Jamal Murray isn’t fazed by criticism. The Nuggets guard signed a four-year, maximum-salary contract extension in September and feels it comes with the territory, he told Bennett Durando of the Denver Post.
“I’m totally ready for it,” Murray said. “That’s why I literally signed up for it.”
Murray understands that with the big contract numbers comes increased scrutiny. He’s endured a roller coaster season thus far and admits he hasn’t played up to par.
“I think I deserve it, to a certain extent,” he said. “So I’m not gonna complain about it. And that’s what people do. They’re gonna talk about what they see. And if they don’t see me performing the way they want me to perform as a fan, they’re gonna let me hear it, or tweet about it or whatever they’re doing. … I mean, I admit I haven’t been playing well. So it’s not like it’s a surprise to me to hear it from everybody else if I’m saying it as well.”
We have more from the Western Conference:
- In his fourth NBA season, the Warriors’ Moses Moody may have found his niche as an undersized power forward, The Athletic’s Anthony Slater writes. The 6’5″ Moody has played 54 minutes the past two games, mostly at power forward, and could see a lot more time there in the near future, as Draymond Green is expected to miss multiple games with a calf strain. “Moses seems to really thrive at the (power forward),” coach Steve Kerr said. “That’s his spot. He’s comfortable using his strength and the ability to stretch the floor.”
- Norman Powell is a candidate to make the All-Star reserves in his 10th season and the Clippers swingman is gratified how this season has played out thus far, he told Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. He’s averaging a career-high 23.7 points per game. “It was always an individual goal,” Powell said. “It was, ‘I want to be an All-Star. I want to be on that stage. I want to be in the same position that I saw my favorite players being in growing up. And honestly it’s surreal. … It’s been 10 years and I kind of take it as a little shot or a little chip on my shoulder when everybody is talking about, ‘Oh, this is his 10th year in the league and this and that.’ It just adds to the beauty of being mentioned now as an All-Star, this being my 10th year.”
- The Pelicans could be without two frontcourt starters against Utah on Monday, both due to non-COVID illnesses. Rookie Yves Missi, who did not play Friday against the Jazz, and Zion Williamson are both listed as questionable, according to a team press release. Williamson has averaged 20.8 points, 8.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists in four games since returning from a hamstring strain.
Eastern Notes: Celtics, Sixers, Risacher, Mitchell
Could the defending champions be lacking in confidence? The Boston Globe’s Gary Washburn believes so. The Celtics have become an unreliable team capable of crumbling in crucial moments of games, according to Washburn. They are losing games that would have won last season, though they still have the second-best record in the Eastern Conference.
We have more from the Eastern Conference:
- The injury-riddled Sixers have lost five straight and they can’t form a coherent rotation until they get more key players back in action, coach Nick Nurse told the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Keith Pompey. “We gotta just get a little healthier around a lot of positions right now to get to where we can get a little decent clarity,” he said. Joel Embiid, Paul George, Guerschon Yabusele, Kyle Lowry, Caleb Martin and KJ Martin all missed Saturday’s loss to Indiana.
- The Hawks offered a clarification regarding Zaccharie Risacher‘s injury. Initially listed as left adductor irritation, it’s now called a strain, Lauren Williams of the Atlanta Journal Constitution tweets. The Hawks are expected to provide an update on the 2024 top pick prior to Wednesday’s game. Risacher was injured last Tuesday.
- Donovan Mitchell bounced back in a big way from his eight-point outing against Oklahoma City, pouring in 36 points in a victory over Minnesota on Saturday, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com notes. That was the highest scoring output by the Cavaliers guard since a 37-point performance against Chicago in mid-November.
Community Shootaround: First-Time All-Stars
The 2024/25 NBA season has been full of surprising performances, from emerging young players and teams alike.
With 24 slots available, will any players make their All-Star debuts next month?
Both of the two best teams in the league, by record, sport young rising talents who could break through this year.
The loaded Cavaliers, currently an NBA-best 35-6 halfway through the year, boast three veteran All-Stars in Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, and Jarrett Allen. Mitchell and Garland seem all but assured to make the cut next month, but All-Defensive forward Evan Mobley, the No. 3 pick in 2021 out of USC, has taken a leap this season. If coaches want to reward Cleveland for its breakout campaign with a third All-Star, Mobley seems to have a better shot at the honor than Allen.
Third-year forward Jalen Williams is the second-best player on the 34-7 Thunder, behind perennial MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. An excellent defensive player who plays a lot bigger than his 6’5″ frame would suggest, Williams is still working to elevate his offense and become a true, championship-level secondary scoring option behind Gilgeous-Alexander. But he’s already done enough to prove his mettle as one of the league’s most exciting young players.
The 23-year-old is averaging a career-high 20.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 1.8 steals and 0.7 blocks a night.
Another 2021 draftee, former No. 1 pick Cade Cunningham, has helped propel his revitalized Pistons to a 21-21 record and the East’s No. 8 seed. Cunningham individually has made a pretty solid case for All-Star consideration, and to this writer feels like the safest bet among this crop of potential newbies — well, the second-best, actually. We’ll get to the best in a minute.
This season, Cunningham is averaging 24.3 points, 9.4 assists, and 6.5 rebounds per game. Those eye-popping numbers, combined with Detroit’s remarkable turnaround from a horrific 2023/24 season, should firmly establish him as an All-Star this year. The 6’6″ Oklahoma State alum is also posting an efficient shooting line of .450/.368/.805.
Magic forward Franz Wagner was making a convincing case to make his All-Star debut this year, before he was felled by an abdominal injury. He has now missed too much time to realistically have a shot, but All-Defensive Team guard Jalen Suggs — who has stepped up as a scorer — could be Orlando’s lone representative this season.
The Magic have performed ably while dealing with long-term absences to Wagner and Paolo Banchero, and Suggs’ stabilizing presence has been a huge part of that. With Banchero back and Wagner hopefully returning soon, Orlando could start vaulting up the Eastern Conference standings again soon enough.
Another All-Defensive Team guard, Celtics champ Derrick White, looked to be on the cusp of making his first All-Star team this year, at age 30, thanks to some strong two-way play early this season. The 2024 Olympic gold medalist has fallen back down to earth a bit across the last month, but his reputation and team success might still help him get there.
In one of the happiest surprises for the season, the young Rockets have looked like one of the best teams in the league. Their 28-13 record makes them the No. 2 seed in the West, behind only Oklahoma City. If anyone is to be named an All-Star among Houston’s cadre of talented young players, center Alperen Sengun would be the best fit as the club’s best two-way player. The 6’11” big man has been averaging 19.4 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 5.1 assists across 41 healthy games so far.
One player, to this writer, stands tall — literally — above the rest.
Spurs superstar-in-waiting Victor Wembanyama seems all but assured to make his first of many, many All-Star teams this year.
The 7’3″ big man has taken the league by storm in just his second season, pushing his club to a solid 19-21 record in the West. Already the odds-on favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year according to BetMGM’s Shane Jackson, the 7’3″ center has rounded out his offense, too. The additions of solid vets Chris Paul and Harrison Barnes, plus impressive rookie guard Stephon Castle and the growth of some young incumbents, appear to have helped expedite the 21-year-old’s development.
The reigning Rookie of the Year is averaging 24.5 points, 10.8 rebounds, 4.1 blocks, 3.7 assists, and 1.1 steals per game for San Antonio. A talent who can score from anywhere, the Frenchman boasts a shooting line of .474/.353/.868.
Amid some major Jimmy Butler-related turmoil, Heat guard Tyler Herro has become Miami’s most reliable regular season scorer, especially in the clutch. Although there are still questions about his defense, the 2022 Sixth Man of the Year could be the Heat’s lone All-Star representative in February thanks to his stellar output on the other end.
Bulls guard Coby White was playing like a fringe All-Star last season as the top performer on a play-in Chicago team. This season, on the No. 10-seeded Bulls, White’s numbers are pretty comparable to his 2023/24 run, but his play has been overshadowed by Chicago’s two veteran All-Stars, Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic. Either of those two pros seems to have a better chance of being named to his third All-Star squad than White does of making his first.
We want to hear from you. Who, if anyone, do you think should make the All-Star team for the first time this year? Are there any other names worthy of discussion?
Let us know in the comments section below.
Southeast Notes: Banchero, Magic, Salaun, Poole
Magic All-Star forward Paolo Banchero barely looked worse for wear upon returning to action after missing two-plus months with an oblique injury. He recently reflected on his time away in a “diary entry” for Andscape’s Marc J. Spears.
“The toughest part was just missing out on the competition, missing out on the games and being out there with your teammates,” Banchero said. “Obviously, they did a really good job of getting wins and playing at a high level. But as a competitor, you just want to be out there. For me, it was the longest injury I’ve had to deal with.”
In his four games back so far, the former Rookie of the Year has averaged 24.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 0.8 blocks and 0.5 steals per night.
“So, just having to sit there and watch night after night, it allowed me to grow in some other areas, whether it was watching the game from the bench and helping teammates out, telling them what I see, [or] what I think they can do differently throughout the game,” Banchero added. “And also, just talking to the coaches’ staff too after every game on the road, different times, just picking their brains as well and seeing what they think.”
There’s more out of the Southeast Division:
- The Magic have been struggling all year with their shooting from beyond the arc, observes Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. As of this writing, the Magic have the worst three-point conversion rate in the league at 30.4%. That’s 3.4% worse than the Wizards, who are the No. 29 club in that department. “Got to go back and look at them and see if we’re getting the right ones,” head coach Jamahl Mosley said. “We’re getting downhill and teams are collapsing. We’re going to see more zone [defense], understood. But we’ve got to keep continuing to make the right play. I’m never discouraged when we’re getting the right looks.”
- The Hornets have assigned rookie lottery pick big man Tidjane Salaun to their G League affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm, for the first time this season, the team announced (Twitter link). The 19-year-old has appeared in 34 contests for Charlotte, averaging 4.7 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists per contest off the bench.
- Wizards guard Jordan Poole had a big night on Saturday against his former team, the Warriors, scoring a game-high 38 points, but it wasn’t enough to secure a win, notes Varun Shankar of The Washington Post.“Made some really tough shots, big shots for us,” said head coach Brian Keefe of Poole’s impact. “I thought he was terrific tonight. They threw the kitchen sink at him down the stretch to make life difficult for him. He really pulled us forward tonight. Hell of a game.”
Central Notes: Bulls, Ball, Pacers, Cavaliers
The Bulls front office, led by team president Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley, needs to get candid about its roster intentions as the trade deadline nears, opines Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times.
As Cowley writes, head coach Billy Donovan, not Karnisovas or Eversley, has been compelled to answer reporters’ questions about Chicago’s long-term plans. The team occupies something of a no-man’s land for now. After trading DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso over the summer but retaining many talented veterans and bringing in Josh Giddey, the Bulls are in more or less the same terrain they were in last year.
At 18-24, the Bulls are the No. 10 seed in the Eastern Conference. They finished at No. 9 last season and were eliminated in the play-in tournament. They’re competent enough to at least be in the postseason conversation again, but are likely to miss the playoffs proper for the third straight season while still being at risk of losing their top-10 protected 2025 first round-pick.
Cowley suggests that Karnisovas owes reporters and fans a frank discussion of his intentions moving forward with the team.
There’s more out of the Central Division:
- It may be time for the NBA to revive its Comeback Player of the Year award, in part to reward players like Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball, posits Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune. The award lasted for six seasons before the league ultimately replaced it with its Most Improved Player honor. Ball overcame formidable odds to return from a two-and-a-half-year, three-surgery layoff, once again becoming a consistent contributor for Chicago.
- The Pacers have a long-term decision to make about the fate of their fifth starter, writes Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. Reserve wing Bennedict Mathurin performed admirably while filling in for injured starter Aaron Nesmith, who returned to action this week. Nesmith reclaimed his starting spot on Thursday on a minutes limit while Mathurin served a one-game suspension; Mathurin took it back on Saturday a 115-102 victory against Philadelphia. Nesmith has yet to play more than 11 minutes in either of his first two games back, and Dopirak predicts that, until he can reliably play 30 minutes a night, Mathurin will continue to start. Dopirak takes a look at what each player can bring to the table as a starter.
- The standout Cavaliers have earned an “A-plus” grade midway through their 2024/25 season, opines Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscriber exclusive). Cleveland is the top seed in the East, sporting a 35-6 record, and looks like it could send three or even four players to the All-Star Game next month. Under new head coach Kenny Atkinson, the team appears to have taken a leap and become a true-blue title contender.
Pistons Notes: Trade Deadline, Ball-Handler, Cunningham
The Pistons have been one of the most surprising teams of the 2024/25 season. After finishing last season with the worst record in franchise history (14-68), the Pistons are currently 21-21, on pace to nearly triple that abysmal 14-win total, writes Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press.
Detroit also has plenty of financial flexibility ahead of the February 6 deadline, as the Pistons are the only team operating with cap room ($14MM). They also have the $8MM room exception at their disposal to potentially make multiple deals.
Their strong play over the past few weeks reportedly has the front office thinking about making in-season upgrades rather than serving as a salary dumping ground, though a recent report indicated that a major roster shakeup was unlikely.
While Detroit could pursue a number of different trade opportunities over the next two-plus weeks, Sankofa cautions that the Pistons ultimately might decide to be judicious with their flexibility, giving the team more time to evaluate the roster entering the offseason.
Here’s more from Detroit:
- Saturday’s four-point loss to Phoenix highlighted the Pistons’ need for a secondary ball-handler and play-maker to complement former No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham, according to Hunter Patterson of The Athletic. Jaden Ivey had served in that role, but he might miss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery to repair a broken fibula in his left leg. “It’s just got to be ball movement,” head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said after the game. “We keep talking about the diversity in our offense and just doing the next right thing. That’s one of the things, again, we’re continuing to work on. We don’t want to be a one-dimensional, ball-dominant team or dribble-dominant team.” Cunningham finished the game with 11 assists, half of the team’s total, but no other Piston had more than two, Patterson notes.
- Cunningham’s teammates believe he should be an All-Star for the first time in ’24/25, per Sankofa of The Detroit Free Press. “It’s an honor to play with him as a young, up-and-coming superstar in this league and I think he’s starting to get the recognition and the clout that he deserves,” Tobias Harris said. “Extremely hard worker, extremely humble human being and an amazing teammate and leader for this whole group. … He’s playing at an extremely high level leading this group, leading this team and coming to play night after night. And not for nothing. He’s a dynamic offensive player but he’s also a very good defensive player, and he brings it defensively for our group as well. He’s been spectacular for us all season long.”
- In case you missed it, Tim Hardaway Jr. is embracing his role as a veteran leader for the younger Pistons.
Nets Notes: C. Johnson, Z. Williams, Evbuomwan, Irving
The Nets aren’t sure if forward Cameron Johnson will be available for Sunday’s matchup in Oklahoma City, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Brooklyn has gone 0-9 this season without Johnson, who is officially listed as questionable for the contest as he continues to deal with a right ankle sprain that has kept him on the sidelines for seven of the past eight games.
“It’s too early [to know] right now,” head coach Jordi Fernandez said about Johnson’s availability for Sunday. “He’s doing a great job with trying to get healthy and working every day and being around with the group.
“And that’s what we value the most, is his energy, his voice right now. And he still was doing his job [every] morning, and right now there’s no reason why we should make a decision, right? We want all our guys to be 100 percent healthy, to come back, and whenever the time comes, we will make a decision.”
According to Lewis, Johnson is the “most coveted player on the trade market right now,” but it’s certainly not a lock that he’ll be on the move by the February 6 deadline. Sources tell Lewis the Nets are reluctant to part with Johnson unless they receive two first-round picks or the equivalent in return, suggesting a talented young player on a team-friendly contract could be used in place of one of those first-rounders.
Here’s more on the Nets:
- Fourth-year forward Ziaire Williams has drastically improved his outside shot of late, Lewis writes in another story for The Post. In his first 21 games prior to missing 12 contests with a knee injury, Williams had converted just 27.3% of his three-point attempts. However, in the nine games since he returned from the injury, he has converted an impressive 40.8% from long distance on significantly higher volume. “Yeah, man, shoot, they tell me constantly shoot, shoot, shoot,” said Williams, who will be eligible for restricted free agency in the summer. “So, I’ve got to be the one to believe in myself. And yes, it’s good out there. It feels good right now. And I’m just trying to just stay in this rhythm.”
- Tosan Evbuomwan inked a two-way contract with Brooklyn at the beginning of the month and has impressed in a regular rotation role off the bench, Lewis adds. The second-year forward has averaged 12.8 points and 4.5 rebounds on .583/.375/.789 shooting over the past six games (24.8 minutes), scoring in double figures in five of those contests.
- Kyrie Irving continues to sarcastically criticize the Nets nearly two years after he was traded to Dallas, according to Lewis. “Best trade in the business, baby. We won that trade!” Irving said Friday night after the Mavericks beat the Thunder, 106-98, then repeated for emphasis, “We won that trade! I was bad goods.”
- In case you missed it, we passed along several other Johnson rumors yesterday from NBA insider Jake Fischer.
Celtics Reportedly Expect 4-5 Initial Ownership Bids
The Celtics are expecting to receive a minimum of four ownership bids from prospective investment groups when the first round of the sale process closes on January 23, a source with direct knowledge of the process tells Michael Silverman of The Boston Globe (subscription required). A fifth bid is also a possibility, Silverman reports.
Current co-owner Steve Pagliuca is spearheading a consortium that will be making a bid, according to Silverman, but the identities of the control heads for the other groups remain a mystery, at least for now. Another current minority stakeholder, Robert Hale, expressed interest in becoming majority owner or joining a group in October, and he told Silverman he’s “still hanging around the hoop.”
Fenway Sports Group and Mark Bezos are reportedly among the other potential bidders. The founding partner of HighPost Capital private equity group, Bezos is the half-brother of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
The Grousbeck family announced on July 1 that it was putting the team up for sale, just a few weeks after the Celtics won their 18th championship. According to Silverman, the Grousbecks expect the final sale price to exceed $6 billion.
As Silverman writes, the Grousbecks and the investment banks advising them on the sale process are expected to review the first round of bids until sometime in February. At that point, two groups will be selected for a final round of bidding, unless one initial bid “meets the family’s expectations.”
If there’s a final round involving two bidders, it could take weeks or even months before a new owner is announced, Silverman adds.
The plan remains for the sale process to be conducted in two phases, with the new group controlling 51% of the franchise at some point in the first half of 2025. The remaining 49% would be sold in 2028.
Governor Wyc Grousbeck hopes to remain in that role until 2028, though it’s unclear if bidders will be open to that idea after he has given up his controlling interest in the first phase of the sale.
Pacific Notes: Richards, Poole, Green, Curry, Vincent, Clippers
Nick Richards looked like the big man the Suns have been missing during his debut with the team Saturday afternoon at Detroit, writes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Richards, who was acquired from Charlotte earlier this week, came off the bench to post 21 points and 11 rebounds in nearly 30 minutes.
Beyond that, Rankin notes that Richards brought energy and “edginess” to the game by competing for rebounds at both ends and driving hard to the basket, which created open three-point attempts for his teammates. He was a plus-22 in a game Phoenix won by four points.
“Everything was flowing,” Richards said. “I was out there being me, playing my style of basketball.”
Jusuf Nurkic, who was recently removed from the starting lineup, remains sidelined with the flu. However, coach Mike Budenholzer said Nurkic has “turned the corner” and his condition will be monitored to see if he’ll join the team before its road trip ends Wednesday in Brooklyn.
Rankin expects Richards to replace Mason Plumlee as the starter soon, and rookie Oso Ighodaro gives the team four capable big men, meaning one or two of them won’t see regular minutes if they’re all still on the roster after the trade deadline.
There’s more from the Pacific Division:
- The Wizards‘ visit to Golden State Saturday night prompted questions to coach Steve Kerr about Jordan Poole, according to Sam Gordon of The San Francisco Chronicle. Poole played an important role on the 2022 championship team and once appeared to be a future star for the Warriors, but he was traded to Washington in the summer of 2023 following an infamous incident with Draymond Green. “It’s just really fun to see all of his work pay off and just his growth as a professional, to see it in pretty dramatic fashion over those few years, it was wonderful to see,” Kerr said.
- Green will undergo an MRI on Sunday after leaving Saturday’s game with a left calf injury, tweets Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Warriors guard Stephen Curry twisted his ankle, but he doesn’t believe it’s serious.
- After missing most of last season due to injury, Gabe Vincent is enjoying the chance to finally be able to contribute to the Lakers, per Khobi Price of The Orange County Register. He had a season-high 14 points in Wednesday’s win over Miami, his former team, then followed that with 10 points Friday against Brooklyn. “My role … is just win games, help us win games,” Vincent said. “Some nights it might be purely defensive, some nights I might be on the ball some more, some nights I might be spotting up. But whatever the task is, I’m out there to help this ballclub win games.”
- When the teams meet Sunday, the Clippers will finally be able to host the Lakers in their own arena after years of sharing a facility, notes Janis Carr of The Orange County Register. The Clippers moved into the new $2 billion high-tech Inuit Dome this season. “I heard that place is sick,” Lakers guard Austin Reaves said. “I heard it’s really cool.”
Knicks Notes: Robinson, Randle, DiVincenzo, Towns
Knicks center Mitchell Robinson posted on his Instagram account Friday that his weight is down to 268.2 pounds as he awaits medical clearance to begin practicing, writes Peter Botte of The New York Post. Robinson, who is recovering from ankle surgery last May, is hoping to take part in practice by the end of January, but coach Tom Thibodeau cautioned that there are still several steps remaining.
“Just working individually right now. So he hasn’t been cleared. There will be a progression and it starts with 1-on-0, which is really where he is right now,” Thibodeau said in Friday’s pregame session with the media. “He hasn’t been cleared for contact yet. So that will be the next phase.”
Robinson’s return would be welcome for the Knicks, who have missed having a reliable rim protector. Thibodeau also confirmed that he envisions having Karl-Anthony Towns spend time at power forward to create a pairing with Robinson similar to what he had with Rudy Gobert in Minnesota.
“We feel like with Karl’s comfortable doing both, playing both positions,” Thibodeau said. “So we feel like it will be an added weapon for us.”
There’s more from New York:
- Timberwolves forward Julius Randle, who made his return to Madison Square Garden on Friday after being traded in October, told Stefan Bondy of The New York Post that he often wonders how good last year’s Knicks could have been if he hadn’t suffered a shoulder injury. Buoyed by a late-December trade for OG Anunoby, New York was tearing through the league before Randle was lost for the season on January 27. “We went into every game expecting to win,” Randle recalled. “Teams would hang around and we would end up winning by like 20 points. It felt like we were starting to get super dominant. We had everything. And everybody’s game was going to the next level. Chemistry was dope. It was unfortunate the injuries happened. But that team was incredible.”
- Randle was the only major player from that trade who took part in Friday’s game, notes Steve Popper of Newsday. Donte DiVincenzo was ruled out with a sprained left big toe, while Towns was a late scratch as he recovers from a right thumb injury he suffered Monday. There were no video tributes for Randle or DiVincenzo, according to Popper, as those took place during a preseason contest. “The thing is, it’s actually the third time we played now,” Thibodeau said. “And as time goes on, there’s always going to be that connection — it’s the reality of our league. Like I said, every night, there’s something for somebody. Just stay focused on getting ready to play. But that’s part of his story, part of Julius’ story, part of Donte’s, and that’s what makes the league what it is.”
- The Knicks’ reliance on Towns was on display Friday, Popper adds, as they struggled to score without him available. New York is just 2-3 without Towns, who averages 25.4 points and 13.9 rebounds per night.