Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jayson Tatum Earn Player Of The Month Honors
Thunder point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been named the Western Conference Player of the Month for games played in October and November, while Celtics forward Jayson Tatum has earned the honor for the Eastern Conference, according to the NBA (Twitter link).
Gilgeous-Alexander played all 19 of the Thunder’s games in October and November, leading the team to a 15-4 record by scoring 29.8 points per game on .503/.339/.857 shooting. He also contributed 6.6 assists, 5.3 rebounds, 1.7 steals, and 1.1 blocks in 34.5 minutes per night.
The Thunder had an eye-popping +15.1 net rating in the 655 minutes in which Gilgeous-Alexander was on the court, compared to a mark of just -0.9 net rating in the 257 minutes he sat. That was the widest on/off-court margin for any Oklahoma City player by a significant margin.
Lakers teammates Anthony Davis and LeBron James, Clippers teammates James Harden and Ivica Zubac, Kings guard De’Aaron Fox, Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving, Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr., Rockets center Alperen Sengun, Trail Blazers guard Shaedon Sharpe, and Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama were also nominated for Player of the Month in the West, according to the NBA (Twitter link).
In the East, Tatum beat out fellow nominees Giannis Antetokounmpo, LaMelo Ball, Donovan Mitchell, Pascal Siakam, Franz Wagner, Jalen Brunson, and Karl-Anthony Towns.
Tatum led the Celtics in points (28.7), rebounds (8.5), and assists (5.8) per game in his first 19 contests, guiding the team to a 16-3 record, which included a dramatic victory over the 15-0 Cavaliers.
Tatum made 46.1% of his shots from the field, including 37.8% of 10.6 three-point attempts per game as Boston averaged 19.2 made threes per game — that would easily be an NBA record if the club can maintain that pace.
Spurs’ Wembanyama, Hawks’ Daniels Named Defensive Players Of The Month
The NBA has introduced a new monthly award, announcing today that Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama (Western Conference) and Hawks guard Dyson Daniels (Eastern Conference) are the first players to earn the Defensive Player of the Month honor (Twitter link). The award applies to games played in October and November
Wembanyama, the reigning Rookie of the Year and last season’s Defensive Player of the Year runner-up, matched his NBA-leading block average from last season by blocking a league-high 3.6 shots per night in his first 16 games this season. According to the NBA, Wembanyama also ranked fourth in the league in contested shots (10.1) and eighth in deflections (3.3) per game during that time.
While the Spurs’ 111.5 defensive rating in October and November ranked outside the NBA’s top 10, that mark improved to 108.5 during Wembanyama’s time on the court, the equivalent of the league’s sixth-best defense.
The other nominees for Defensive Player of the Month in the West, per the NBA (Twitter link), were Anthony Davis, Luguentz Dort, Draymond Green, Jaren Jackson Jr., Toumani Camara, Clippers teammates Ivica Zubac and Kris Dunn, and Rockets reserves Tari Eason and Amen Thompson.
Over in the East, Daniels made a strong first impression with his new team after being traded from New Orleans to Atlanta during the offseason, leading the NBA in steals (3.0), deflections (6.7), and forced turnovers (2.8) per game in 19 outings (all starts) in October and November.
Daniels also contributed 0.9 blocks per contest as he made a strong early-season case for All-Defensive and Defensive Player of the Year consideration.
Daniels beat out fellow Eastern Conference nominees Giannis Antetokounmpo, Brook Lopez, Bam Adebayo, OG Anunoby, Evan Mobley, and Jalen Suggs for the new award, according to the league.
Jared McCain, Jaylen Wells Named Rookies Of The Month
Sixers guard Jared McCain and Grizzlies forward Jaylen Wells have been named the NBA’s Rookies of the Month for the Eastern Conference and Western Conference, respectively, the league announced today (via Twitter). The honor technically covers more than a month, since it’s for games played in October as well as November.
The 16th overall pick in the 2024 draft, McCain didn’t initially project to be part of Philadelphia’s regular rotation and played fewer than four minutes in each of his first two games of the season.
However, injuries cleared a path for him to get minutes and he took advantage of that opportunity, averaging 16.0 points, 2.6 assists, and 2.5 rebounds on 25.2 minutes per game across 18 outings (seven starts) to open his NBA career. McCain also posted a solid shooting line of .448/.364/.906.
Wells, who was drafted with the No. 39 pick in June, is an even unlikelier early-season standout than McCain, but also took advantage of his team being affected by the injury bug and capitalized on an opportunity to play rotation minutes right out of the gate.
In 20 games (15 starts) in October and November, Wells averaged 12.2 PPG, 3.3 RPG, and 1.9 APG in 25.3 MPG. He provided some much-needed outside shooting for the Grizzlies, knocking down 39.4% of 5.0 attempts per night from beyond the arc.
According to the NBA (Twitter link), McCain beat out fellow nominees Zaccharie Risacher, Alex Sarr, and Carlton Carrington for Rookie of the Month recognition in the East. The other nominees in the West were Dalton Knecht, Stephon Castle, Donovan Clingan, Ryan Dunn, and Wells’ teammate Zach Edey.
Veteran NBA Forward Paul Millsap Retiring
Veteran NBA forward Paul Millsap is retiring from basketball after spending 16 seasons in the league, according to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
The 47th overall pick in the 2006 draft out of Louisiana Tech, Millsap spent his first seven seasons with the Jazz before signing as a free agent in 2013 with Atlanta. The 6’7″ big man made four straight All-Star teams with the Hawks before leaving for Denver as a free agent in 2017. He played for the Nuggets for four seasons, then spent his final season in 2021/22 with the Nets and Sixers.
Millsap hasn’t played basketball professionally since 2022, but didn’t formally decide to retire until now, at age 39.
Despite being a late second-round pick, Millsap made the All-Rookie Second team in his first NBA season and immediately established himself as an important rotation player for the Jazz, earning Sixth Man of the Year votes in 2009 and 2010, then taking as Utah’s starting power forward when Carlos Boozer left the team in 2010.
While Millsap had several strong seasons with the Jazz, his best years came with the Hawks under head coach Mike Budenholzer, who led the team to four straight playoff seasons during Millsap’s time in Atlanta, including a 60-win season and an Eastern Conference Finals appearance in 2014/15.
After averaging a career-high 18.1 points per game in his final year with the Hawks, Millsap served as more of a role player than a featured option in Denver, especially after undergoing wrist surgery during his first season with the Nuggets. He started 186 of 215 games he played for the team, but saw his usage rate steadily decline during those four years.
For his career, Millsap averaged 13.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.0 block in 28.1 minutes per game across 1,085 regular season appearances. According to Charania, he’s one of just eight players in NBA history who accumulated at least 1,000 career steals, 1,000 blocks, and 500 three-pointers.
According to Basketball-Reference, Millsap earned over $195MM in NBA salaries during his 16 years in the league.
Lakers’ Vanderbilt Targeting Early January For Season Debut
Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt, who is recovering from offseason surgeries on both feet, has experienced a setback in his rehab process, as reported by Shams Charania and Dave McMenamin of ESPN and confirmed by the team (Twitter link via Mike Trudell).
The Lakers say that Vanderbilt developed an effusion in his left knee during his return-to-play progression. As Charania and McMenamin explain, that’s a fluid build-up.
As a result, the 25-year-old will likely be sidelined for at least another month. Vanderbilt and the Lakers are targeting a return in early January, according to both ESPN’s report and the team’s announcement.
Vanderbilt, who isn’t with the club on its current four-game road trip, is expected to be examined by team doctors when the Lakers return home after Friday’s game in Atlanta, per Charania and McMenamin.
A 2023 trade deadline acquisition, Vanderbilt has been an impactful role player for Los Angeles when healthy, providing strong, versatile defense and averaging 6.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.2 steals in 21.9 minutes per game. The Lakers, who had a +0.6 overall net rating last season, posted a +4.2 mark during Vanderbilt’s 581 minutes of action.
However, due to health issues, the forward has been limited to just 55 total appearances since he was traded from Utah to L.A., including 29 last season and zero so far in 2024/25.
Vanderbilt is in the first season of a four-year, $48MM contract extension that he signed with the Lakers in September 2023.
Nets Notes: Monday Loss, Sharpe, Williams, Whitehead
Since winning three road games in four days last week in Sacramento, Golden State, and Phoenix, the Nets have struggled. They lost their third contest in a row on Monday, falling by a score of 128-102 to the Bulls. It was a six-point game at the half before Chicago began to pull away in the third quarter, leaving head coach Jordi Fernandez upset about his team’s second-half performance, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post.
“Losing a second half by 20, it’s not good enough. We have higher standards, the way we work, the way we play, the way we compete. And this was not good,” Fernandez said. “They scored 56 in the first half, and they scored 72 in the second half. So our defense was extremely bad. And our players know that our ball pressure has to be better, our competitiveness, our communication.
“In that second Orlando game (a 100-92 loss on Sunday), the first half of this game, I give the guys credit. You can lose, but that’s how you lose, and I was proud of them. This second half, this is not who we want to be. This is not our identity. It was pretty poor.”
As Lewis points out, it’s hard to blame the Nets too much for their underwhelming performance, given how banged up the team is. Starters Cam Thomas, Dorian Finney-Smith, Ben Simmons, and Cameron Johnson (who was a late scratch due to a left ankle sprain) were among eight Brooklyn players unavailable in Chicago. Still, Fernandez doesn’t view the club’s injury woes as an excuse for a disappointing effort.
“I’m going to go into every game believing that we have a chance to win,” Fernandez said. “I don’t care who’s playing. If they wear a Nets uniform, I’m going to go out there and believe that we’re going to fight, compete and we’re going to have a chance.”
Here’s more on the Nets:
- One player who wasn’t on Monday’s injury report was center Day’Ron Sharpe, who was making his season debut after missing the Nets’ first 21 games due to a hamstring injury. After recording just four points and two rebounds in 16 minutes of action, Sharpe said it “felt good to be back on the court,” but indicated he wasn’t happy with his performance, according to Lewis. “My second stint, I was tired, I’m not going to lie. But I’m getting my wind back. After that I thought I was good,” Sharpe said. “But me personally, I feel like I played (terribly). But that’s the first game, so just keep building from here.”
- Ziaire Williams missed his first game this season in Chicago due to what the team referred to as a left knee sprain. As Lewis relays, Fernandez’s comments on Monday suggested that Williams’ absence will likely extend beyond that. “Right now, we will have a better feel on how (Williams) reacts in the next few days to know exactly what that time frame is,” the Nets’ coach said.
- Given the opportunity to play a rotation role with so many players sidelined, Dariq Whitehead had the best game of his NBA career on Monday, knocking down six three-pointers and scoring 18 points. He’d scored three total points in his previous four NBA outings. Scott Mitchell of NetsDaily takes a look at Whitehead’s breakout game and explores how the guard’s time with the Long Island Nets helped build his confidence. “If I’m being completely honest, last year I just got drafted and was in the wrong mindset. I didn’t take playing in the G League the right way like I should have,” Whitehead said. “This year, I came into it with a clearer mind and want to be (in Long Island) and develop that leadership role.”
Hoops Rumors Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript: 12/3/2024
Hoops Rumors’ Arthur Hill held a live chat today exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers. Topics included RJ Barrett's omission from ESPN's 25 under 25 list, Josh Giddey's next contract, a possible new home for Dorian Finney-Smith, predictions for the next stage of the NBA Cup and more!
Injury Notes: Sochan, Embiid, Henderson, R. Williams, Wade
Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan appears set to take on the court on Tuesday night for the first time in nearly a month, having been listed as probable for San Antonio’s NBA Cup game in Phoenix, tweets Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News.
Sochan has been sidelined since November 4, missing the Spurs’ past 13 games due to a fractured thumb that required surgery.
The former ninth overall pick appeared to be taking an impressive step forward prior to the injury. In his six full games this season, he averaged 17.3 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 3.3 assists in 32.2 minutes per night, with a 50.6% field goal percentage.
The Spurs have been playing well lately with rookie Stephon Castle starting in place of Sochan, having won five of their past six games, so we’ll see if Sochan reclaims his spot in the lineup upon his return or if acting head coach Mitch Johnson has him come off the bench.
Here are a few more injury-related notes from around the NBA:
- Sixers star Joel Embiid remains listed as out for Tuesday’s game in Charlotte due to left knee injury management and personal reasons, tweets Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. The team hasn’t provided any sort of timeline for Embiid’s return, but this will be the fifth consecutive contest the big man has missed.
- Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson underwent an MRI this week on the quad injury that has forced him to miss three games, including the past two, tweets Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report. However, that MRI didn’t show anything more than a contusion, so Henderson is considered day-to-day and is listed as questionable to play in Los Angeles on Tuesday vs. the Clippers. Blazers center Robert Williams, however, didn’t make the trip to L.A. and will miss a fourth straight game while he remains in the concussion protocol, Highkin adds.
- Cavaliers forward Dean Wade, who has been unavailable for the past six games due to a left ankle sprain, is listed as questionable to play vs. Washington on Tuesday and was in attendance for today’s shootaround, per Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (Twitter links). According to Fedor, Wade – whose +12.9 net rating ranks second among Cavs players – wanted to play on Sunday vs. Boston and went through a 3-on-3 workout on Monday in the hopes of showing Cleveland’s training staff that he’s ready to return.
Northwest Notes: Timberwolves, Gordon, George, Jazz
The legal battle that will determine who controls the Timberwolves won’t be resolved until January at the earliest, sources tell Eben Novy-Williams and Michael McCann of Sportico.
As Sportico’s duo explains, the legal representatives for current team owner Glen Taylor and prospective owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez will answer “final questions of clarification” from the three-person arbitration panel handling the case in early January. The panel isn’t expected to make its final ruling on the matter until sometime after those questions are answered.
Even when the arbitration process concludes, it likely won’t fully close the books on the Timberwolves’ ownership fight. Novy-Williams and McCann point out that the losing side could petition a federal judge to vacate the arbitration award. Additionally, if the arbitrators rule in favor of Lore and Rodriguez, the new ownership group would still need to be approved by the NBA’s Board of Governors.
Here’s more from around the Northwest:
- It has been a challenging start to the season for the Timberwolves, but there was no bad body language and there were no concerning post-game quotes after a blowout victory over the Lakers on Monday night. Chris Hine of The Star Tribune has the story on the encouraging win and the good vibes it created.
- In his first game back after missing 10 games due to a calf strain, Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon came off the bench on a minutes limit on Sunday and served as Nikola Jokic‘s backup, writes Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. While Gordon has been far more effective as the second-string center than Dario Saric, Zeke Nnaji, or DeAndre Jordan have – Denver was +3 with Jokic off the court vs. the Clippers – he’s the least sustainable option to continue as the backup five over a full 82-game season, given his typical role alongside Jokic, Durando notes.
- Outside of his subpar shooting percentages (.375 FG%, .336 3PT%), turnovers and defense have also been issues for Keyonte George, according to Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune, who suggests that the second-year Jazz guard hasn’t inspired confidence as a ball-handling point guard and doesn’t shoot well enough to be a full-time shooting guard. George is still just 21 years old and works hard, Larsen writes, but will have to make significant strides to become the player the Jazz hoped they were getting when he was drafted in 2023.
- Jazz head coach Will Hardy conceded he made a mistake in calling a timeout on Sunday before Collin Sexton had a chance to attempt what would’ve been a go-ahead basket in the final seconds of Utah’s game vs. the Lakers (Twitter video link). After the game, Sexton said he understood why Hardy made the decision he did and didn’t blame him at all. As Tony Jones of The Athletic writes, while the one-point loss was a tough pill to swallow, the mature way the moment was handled showed there’s trust between the head coach and his players, an important sign in a challenging rebuilding year.
Sixers Sign Pete Nance To Two-Way Deal, Waive Quinones
DECEMBER 3: The Sixers have officially signed Nance and waived Quinones, the team announced today in a press release.
DECEMBER 2: The Sixers have agreed to a two-way contract with Pete Nance, ESPN’s Tim Bontemps tweets.
Nance is the younger brother of veteran NBA forward Larry Nance Jr. Pete has played eight games this season in the G League’s Showcase Cup for the Cleveland Charge, the Cavaliers’ affiliate. He’s averaging 18.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.0 blocks per contest.
The 6’10” Nance also played in the NBAGL for most of last season. He made eight NBA appearances with the Cavs but averaged just 3.4 minutes in those games.
Nance participated in camp with the Cavs this fall, but was waived in October. He signed a two-way contract with Cleveland in February but wasn’t offered another one. He went undrafted in 2023.
With centers Joel Embiid and Andre Drummond sidelined by injuries and — in Embiid’s case — personal reasons, the Sixers were seeking another frontcourt option in the short run.
As our two-way contract tracker shows, Philadelphia has three players currently signed to two-ways and will have to drop one of them to make room for Nance. According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link), the odd man out will be guard Lester Quinones.
Quinones, who has appeared in four games with the Sixers this season, signed a two-way contract in September after playing for Golden State last season.