Adem Bona

Sixers Notes: George, Bona, Grimes

April 14th, 2025 at 9:49pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Paul George acknowledged that his first season with the Sixers was a complete mess. George signed a four-year, $211.6MM contract last offseason.

“To be honest, it was one of the toughest seasons for me, just with a lot of adversity on the court, off the court,” George told Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. “The injury stuff … was some stuff I didn’t necessarily know I had going on until deep diving and finding out. There was other stuff I didn’t know that was causing my limitations, which was frustrating — not being able to do things I normally could do, and finding out the reason why. Those things are being addressed, so that’s the positive.”

George missed half of Philadelphia’s games due to a variety of injuries. He’s preparing to get back to full health by training camp.

“All in all, I’m expecting to ramp up to a great summer and hitting the ground running,” he said. “So there shouldn’t be any limitation for me in the future to train and get prepared for this next season.”

George believes he can return to an All-Star level if he can get his body right. “I know what level I can play at when I am healthy,” he said, “and obviously, it’s a struggle when I’m not healthy.”

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Second-round pick Adem Bona, who appeared in 58 games during his rookie campaign, has a decision to make this offseason. Should he represent Nigeria or Turkey in international competitions? “I’ve played for the national team for almost every age group since U16 to U20. So, the Turkish national team is very important to me. Also, I’m from Nigeria. The Nigerian national team is important to me.” he told Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops. “I don’t think there’s any preference. I represent both countries equally, but there’s going to be a decision that has to be made during the summer.” Turkey will participate in EuroBasket this August and September.
How will the Sixers handle Quentin Grimes‘ restricted free agency? Yossi Gozlan of ThirdApron.com (Substack link) tackles that subject and many others in his offseason preview, speculating that something in the range of the full mid-level (a little over $60MM across four years) might make sense for Grimes.
In case you missed it, Daryl Morey and Nick Nurse will return next season. Get the details here.

Sixers’ Nurse: Health Of Embiid, George Crucial For Next Season

April 8th, 2025 at 8:01am CST by Arthur Hill

The Sixers‘ nightmare season is about to end, but there are no guarantees that next season will be any better or that their stars will be any healthier. Before Monday’s game at Miami, which marked Philadelphia’s 12th straight loss and its 29th in 32 games, coach Nick Nurse talked about the prospects for 2025/26, acknowledging that everything centers around the availability of Joel Embiid and Paul George, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

“There’s, obviously, a good number of them that need to get taken care of, get back to health, but obviously, Joel and Paul will be the big concerns,” Nurse said. “Can they get back and get ready to go? And I guess we won’t find that out for a little while, and then you start unpacking and then you get back to thinking there’s some really, really good players there and start piecing it together and then we get ready to build out the rest of the roster around them.”

Embiid dealt with left knee issues all season long and was limited to just 19 games. Swelling in the knee delayed his season debut until November 12, and he was in an out of the lineup after that. He was eventually shut down for good on February 28 and will undergo arthroscopic surgery later this week.

Embiid remains a force when he’s healthy, having averaged 23.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 4.5 assists in 30.2 minutes per game, but the Sixers will need him on the court far more often to be competitive. The extension he signed last summer gives him $179MM in guaranteed money over the next three years, with a $69MM player option for 2028/29.

The Sixers viewed George as the missing piece to a title contender when they signed him to a four-year max deal in free agency. Various injuries limited him to 41 games before he was ruled out for the rest of the season on March 17 due to adductor and knee issues.

George averaged 16.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists in his first season with Philadelphia, but he never reached the All-Star level he displayed during his time with the Clippers. He’s owed $51.7MM next season, $54.1MM in 2026/27 and holds a $56.6MM player option for 2027/28.

As Pompey notes, the Sixers’ injury woes didn’t end with their two veteran stars. Tyrese Maxey appeared in just 52 games and hasn’t played since March 3 due to an injured finger tendon. Rookie guard Jared McCain quickly found his way into the rotation, but was lost for the season after 23 games with a torn meniscus. Andre Drummond, Eric Gordon, Kyle Lowry and several others have also missed significant time due to injuries.

The results have been ugly, as the Sixers have struggled to field a competitive team since the All-Star break. Nurse used his 53rd different starting lineup of the season on Monday, Pompey notes in a separate story, consisting of Lonnie Walker, Quentin Grimes, Adem Bona, Marcus Bagley and Jared Butler. Pompey points out that Bona was the only member of that group who was on the roster before February.

Sixers Notes: Castleton, Butler, Grimes, Bona

April 6th, 2025 at 10:00am CST by Arthur Hill

The Sixers‘ late-season collapse has been ugly, but it’s providing opportunities for several players who might not otherwise get them, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia dropped its 11th straight game Saturday night and has lost 28 of the past 31. Most of that losing has come with a makeshift roster, as Pompey notes that the team has played without an average of eight rotation players for more than a month.

Among those seeing playing time are Lonnie Walker, who started the season in Lithuania, Jalen Hood-Schifino, who had only appeared in two games this season before signing a two-way deal last month, and Colin Castleton, who inked a 10-day contract on Thursday after two 10-day deals with Toronto.

“I’m (focused on) continuing off my previous stop, just continuing to do what I do well,” Castleton said. “Even though this is the last 10 days, I’m just doing what I can to maximize the minutes that I am getting and just the opportunity. … So I’m just taking advantage of it and whatever comes with it.”

Also benefiting from the situation is Jared Butler, who was promoted from a two-way deal to a standard contract after being acquired from Washington at the trade deadline. After bouncing around the league since 2021, Butler is averaging a career-high 23.8 minutes per night in 24 games with the Sixers.

“It’s been four years, and it’s my first time getting straight-up games where I know I’m going to play,” he said. “Like, the fourth year? Somebody telling you just wait four years until you’re going to be able to play, get a real opportunity. It’s a blessing. I’m just glad I’m healthy and I’m able to play. So I think it’s good for my career.”

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Quentin Grimes has become a star in the Sixers’ depleted lineup since being acquired from the Mavericks at the deadline, but he’s had to adjust to constant losing for the first time in his career, Pompey adds. Grimes leans on some advice he got from former Dallas teammate Klay Thompson, who said NBA players have the best jobs in the world. “That kind of really stuck with me to put in perspective that I do play basketball,” Grimes said. “People would love to do this every day. I get to come in and work every single day. So I love to do what I do, even though we’re losing now.”
Adem Bona enjoyed the best game of his career on Thursday, scoring 28 points against Milwaukee, Pompey states in a separate story. The rookie center has been one of the team’s few bright spots and is showing he might have a role beyond this season. “Playing consistent minutes every game, it helps boost your confidence,” Bona said. “It also helps knowing you’re going to be out there tonight — every night. So I think it has helped me, it’s gone a long way. Also, it’s kind of a launchpad into next year, getting ready to play with all the great players we have on our team. I think this is just helping me and building my experience.”
Although the Sixers came into training camp hoping to contend for a title around Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey, there were plenty of warning signs that their Big Three couldn’t hold up for an entire season, Pompey explains in another piece.

Nick Nurse Reflects On Difficult Season After Sixers Officially Eliminated

March 29th, 2025 at 11:06pm CST by Arthur Hill

Head coach Nick Nurse discussed the frustrations of a lost year after the Sixers were officially eliminated from postseason contention with Saturday’s loss to Miami (Twitter video link from PHLY Sixers).

“Obviously it’s not anywhere near where we had hoped it would be when we set out this summer and this fall, that’s for sure” Nurse said. “That’s the only thing you can say, it was a super struggle. You know, most of the way I think there was only a couple times of some momentum. Right? December, and there was another I think four- or five-game winning streak in there, too, where you were always holding out hope that the team was playing better and getting some wins and hopefully get some players back.”

That turnaround never came, as the Sixers were plagued by injuries to stars and role players throughout the season. Franchise cornerstone Joel Embiid was limited to 19 games before being declared out for the season in late February. Top free agent addition Paul George appeared in 41 games before he was ruled out for the season in mid-March. Tyrese Maxey was active for 52 games, but he hasn’t played since March 3 due to a sprained finger and probably won’t return this season.

Injury issues affected virtually the entire roster, as Philadelphia got just 40 games out of Andre Drummond, 39 from Eric Gordon and 33 from Kyle Lowry. Rookie guard Jared McCain was lost after 23 games due to a meniscus tear following a promising start.

Tonight marked the Sixers’ 50th different starting lineup in 74 games, notes Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel (Twitter link), with Justin Edwards, Guerschon Yabusele, Adem Bona, Quentin Grimes and Jared Butler opening the game.

“It just didn’t seem like the injury bug would ever leave us,” Nurse said. “It just seemed like every time we’d have a good game it would cost us a player or two for the next one. We never could build any momentum.”

The good news for the Sixers is that tonight’s defeat, combined with Brooklyn’s win, drops them a half-game behind the Nets and gives them the fifth-worst record in the league. Philadelphia’s first-round pick in this year’s draft is top-six protected and will convey to Oklahoma City if it falls outside that range.

The 23-51 Sixers have now dropped seven straight and 24 of their last 28. Five of their final eight games are against teams under .500, starting with Sunday’s home contest against Toronto.

Sixers Notes: Grimes, Yabusele, Butler, Nurse, Injury Report

March 18th, 2025 at 5:42pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Quentin Grimes, a trade deadline acquisition, continues to shine for the Sixers. The combo guard — a restricted free agent after this season — erupted for a career-high 46 points against the Rockets in an overtime loss on Monday. Grimes, who also finished with a career-best 13 rebounds, has scored 30 or more points in five separate games since coming to Philadelphia.

“It’s cool,” Grimes told Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. “But I had a costly turnover that cost us the game late in the fourth. I have to be better in those situations, probably on the ball, try to get fouled. It’s cool and all, but we probably should have just ended the game, ended it with a win.”

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While they have been decimated by injuries, big man Guerschon Yabusele has continued to play despite battling knee soreness. Yabusele sat out Monday’s game, but he’s appeared in 62 of 68 games and has served as a few of the few constants in Philadelphia this season. “That’s just who I am,” he told Pompey. “I always try to keep playing no matter what. You know that’s just me. I just want to compete. I want to be out there and help the guys. I hate just being on the bench and looking at the guys over there, struggling or losing. It’s something I don’t like to be a part of.” Yabusele has some extra incentive to stay on the court — he will be an unrestricted free agent after the season.
The Sixers had only nine players available on Monday, yet nearly knocked off one of the better teams in the Western Conference. “I think it’s just outside of our nature to go out there and try to lose,” guard Jared Butler said, per Pompey. ”I can’t see myself playing like that in any kind of way.”
While some fans might be unhappy with head coach Nick Nurse, he shouldn’t be the scapegoat for the team’s dismal season, Pompey argues. Nurse has been forced to juggle the rotation throughout the season due to the rash of injuries, using 44 different starting lineups, Pompey points out.
Kelly Oubre Jr. is doubtful for Wednesday’s game against the Thunder due to a sprained right knee, Pompey tweets. Yabusele is questionable, while Tyrese Maxey, Andre Drummond, Adem Bona, Kyle Lowry and Lonnie Walker remain out.
In case you missed it, Paul George has been ruled out for the season. Get the details here.

Sixers Notes: Hood-Schifino, Reed, Bona, George, Embiid

March 17th, 2025 at 9:00am CST by Arthur Hill

Considering their lottery situation, the Sixers really didn’t need a win Sunday afternoon in Dallas, but that didn’t matter to Jalen Hood-Schifino or the other players trying to prove themselves at the NBA level, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Hood-Schifino, who signed a two-way contract on March 1, came off the bench to sink five three-pointers and score 19 points in 23 minutes. He also hit a pair of foul shots with four seconds left that put the game out of reach.

“For me, just focusing on my breath and saying calm, and knowing if I get those two free throws, the game is over,” Hood-Schifino said. “So for me, it was about relaxing and knocking those shots down.”

Pompey notes that while the Sixers snapped a three-game losing streak and won for just the fourth time in 21 games, it wasn’t the best outcome for a team that will surrender its first-round pick to Oklahoma City if it falls outside the top six. Brooklyn also won on Sunday while Toronto lost, leaving Philadelphia with the sixth-worst record in the league, a half-game behind the Nets in the lottery standings and a half-game ahead of the Raptors.

“Listen, we are going to prepare this group to go out there and have some success,” coach Nick Nurse said. “Again, they played very well tonight. … Again, we just want to prepare them well and give them a chance to show what they can do and have some success.”

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Pistons center Paul Reed, who was waived by Philadelphia in July, took a shot at his former team on social media Saturday night, posting, “They thought I was the problem,” Pompey adds. Asked to comment on Sunday, Nurse replied, “I don’t have a response. We certainly didn’t think Paul Reed was a problem.”
The Sixers’ list of inactive players for Sunday grew to 10 when center Adem Bona was declared out due to a sprained left ankle, Pompey tweets. There’s no word on how much time Bona is expected to miss.
The Sixers were counting on Paul George to lift them into title contention when he signed as a free agent last summer, but their best move might be to try to unload his hefty contract during the offseason, Pompey states in a separate story. The nine-time All-Star has been limited to 41 games this season and hasn’t played since March 4 because of groin and knee injuries. He’ll turn 35 in May and still has three years and $162.3MM left on his contract.
The Sixers won’t be able to make real progress until they move on from Joel Embiid, Pompey argues in another piece. He notes that Philadelphia’s front office keeps making personnel moves to build around Embiid, but the star center’s constant injuries prevent them from being effective. Pompey adds that with Embiid, George and Tyrese Maxey using up virtually all the team’s cap space over the next several seasons, there’s little room to improve if they all remain on the roster.

Atlantic Notes: Springer, Stevens, Cofield, Raptors Rebouding, Bona

March 11th, 2025 at 7:27pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens notified Jaden Springer that he might be dealt before last month’s trade deadline. Springer wound up going to the Rockets and expressed appreciation for Stevens’ candor.

“Brad told me like before it actually (happened),” Springer told Brian Robb of Masslive.com. “He gave me a heads-up like, ‘Hey, something might happen,’ so, I’m happy he gave me like a heads-up. I appreciate Brad for bringing me in, let me get a championship with them guys and be on the team, so I appreciate them. I got love for them, so it’s pretty cool.”

Houston waived Springer and he wound up signing with Utah, first on a 10-day deal and then on a three-year contract. Springer didn’t play against his former team on Monday.

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Remy Cofield, the Celtics’ director of scouting, is leaving the NBA to become the general manager for the Arkansas athletic department, Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports tweets. Remy has been with the Celtics organization since 2013, including a stint as GM of their G League affiliate, and served as the scouting director for nearly five years. John Calipari is in his first season as the basketball coach for the Razorbacks.
There were plenty of missed shots in the Raptors-Wizards game on Monday and Toronto grabbed plenty of rebounds. The Raptors set a franchise-record with four players securing at least 10 rebounds in the 15-point victory, The Associated Press notes. They also set a franchise record with 73 rebounds. “It would not be fair to say that we did anything different (Monday) than we do the whole season,” Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic said. “Yes, we are focusing a lot on offensive rebounding, and we also focusing on offensive rebounding in many games.”
Sixers big man Adem Bona posted a 14-point, 15-rebound, five-block game against Utah on Sunday, then scored 12 points in 23 minutes while making all of his field-goal attempts against Atlanta on Monday. Bona believes he’s also gotten better with terminology and his defensive coverages, as he told Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. “I would think one is communication,” the rookie said of his biggest growth. “Understanding the NBA terms, communicating what is called, and how to guard the pick-and-roll. I played the pick-and-roll completely different in college. Coming into the NBA and trying to adapt to that, that’s pretty big for me.”

Atlantic Notes: Barnes, Raptors, Embiid, Knicks’ Offense

December 5th, 2024 at 9:54pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Raptors are playing their best basketball of the season when star Scottie Barnes is on the floor, Sportsnet.ca’s Michael Grange writes. This season looked like an opportunity for Toronto to potentially bottom out and add a lottery prospect to a young core that includes Barnes, Immanuel Quickley, Gradey Dick and Ja’Kobe Walter, but Barnes’ excellence is making that difficult.

Entering Thursday, Toronto had won five of their last eight games with Barnes in the lineup, trending up despite still holding a 7-16 record. Barnes was again deadly against the Pacers on Tuesday, finishing as a plus-18 in his 36 minutes. Part of that success stems from the chemistry Barnes is building with fellow forward RJ Barrett, Grange writes.

“When we’re both being aggressive, we’re both getting downhill, we’re both pushing the pace, finding each other in transition, it pays off really well,” Barnes said. “Our games complement each other really well, we’re finding each other with that space we’re able to create and play off that.”

While there’s plenty of time remaining in the regular season for movement up and down the standings, the Raptors are just two games behind the Pacers for the No. 10 seed and the final play-in spot in the Eastern Conference.

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Despite a rough start to the season, Toronto’s energy has been high all year thanks in part to a summer getaway that set the tone for the season, Eric Koreen of The Athletic details. “We were vibing. We were just vibing, having a good time,” Fernando said of the team’s trips to Spain and Miami this offseason. “We would definitely wake up first thing in the morning for workouts.” While the Raptors aren’t happy to have a losing record, Koreen writes that they understand that the team is a work in progress and is cognizant of their youth. Veterans have helped establish a culture and young players like Jamal Shead and Jonathan Mogbo expressed gratitude for their early career playing time. “I feel like we’re more together than teams that I’ve been on where we had a really good record,” newcomer Davion Mitchell said.
Sixers superstar Joel Embiid (left knee injury management) is set to miss his seventh straight game, having been ruled out for Friday’s game against Orlando, according to PHLY Sports’ Kyle Neubeck (Twitter link). Adem Bona was also ruled out while Andre Drummond, who missed the past two games, has been upgraded to questionable. Bona played on Wednesday with Embiid and Drummond out, but he was the only player 6’10” or taller to see action for the club. Philadelphia started Guerschon Yabusele and KJ Martin amid its frontcourt injuries.
The Knicks led the NBA with a 121.0 offensive rating heading into Thursday’s tilt against the Hornets, Peter Botte of the New York Post observes. Tom Thibodeau‘s team has consistently been effective on offense during his tenure, but New York has never had a league-best offense since the NBA started tracking points per 100 possessions. The Knicks’ five starters are averaging a collective 97.8 points per game and top reserve Miles McBride is adding a career-best 11.3 points per game.

Atlantic Notes: Sixers’ Struggles, Embiid, Drummond, Porzingis, Tillman

November 18th, 2024 at 11:54am CST by Tristan Tucker

The Sixers hold the NBA’s second-worst record at 2-10, only one game ahead of the Raptors for last place in the league. They rank last in the league in scoring, rebounding, assists and shooting. Amid the early season struggles, they’ve had some bright spots like rookie Jared McCain‘s strong play and Guerschon Yabusele‘s return to the league.

This version of the Sixers wasn’t built on silver linings. They were built to contend this offseason when they cleared their books in order to sign wing Paul George, re-sign guard Tyrese Maxey, and add several role players like Caleb Martin and Andre Drummond. Still, it’s impossible to overlook the difficult hand they’ve been dealt with injuries. Each of their three stars – Joel Embiid, Maxey and George – has dealt with a multi-week injury and the trio has yet to suit up in the same game this season.

Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer ponders whether the injuries are truly the only thing to blame for Philadelphia’s start or if there’s more going on.

“We’ve really got to get serious about the execution side of the offense, right?” coach Nick Nurse said. “… It’s not easy with a whole bunch of new guys and guys coming in and out, obviously. But that’s what we are. So we got to get to work on it for sure.”

There are areas for concern even at full health, Pompey opines. Maxey needs to regain his shooting touch from last year, as he’s only made 28.6% of his three-point attempts. George’s averages are also down from last season — he has scored 16.5 points per game on 39.8% shooting from the field (down from 22.6 PPG on 47.1% shooting last year). Embiid is also averaging 16.5 PPG on 26.9% shooting in two games. For my money, these are all small sample sizes and the raw numbers seem likely to balance out when the trio plays more together. Still, it’s a trend worth monitoring.

Pompey also adds that late-game struggles are an issue that needs fixing. After taking an eight-point lead on Friday against Orlando, the 76ers surrendered a 16-0 run and ended up losing.

“It seems like it’s every game,” Embiid said. “We have a very good 30 minutes. … [then fall apart] … especially, because we’re not at full strength and [I’m] not myself yet. So it feels like you don’t have a lot of margin for error.”

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Things likely won’t get any easier for the Sixers on Monday against the Heat. Embiid is listed as doubtful for the tilt in Miami due to an illness, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link). If he’s ruled out, it would mark Embiid’s 11th game missed due to injury, illness, or suspension this fall.
Drummond only logged four first-half minutes on Friday against Orlando after missing last Wednesday’s loss to Cleveland while dealing with an illness. Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes that the Sixers‘ backup center looked “a lot bouncier and fresher” in Sunday’s practice, per Nurse. Yabusele logged backup center minutes against Orlando. Rookie second-round pick Adem Bona was assigned to the Delaware Blue Coats on Sunday but was quickly recalled on Monday, per PHLY Sports’ Derek Bodner (Twitter link) signaling Philadelphia’s lack of healthy frontcourt options.
Celtics center/forward Kristaps Porzingis has reached the next phase of his recovery process, per a release from the team. As part of his rehab process, he and Xavier Tillman were assigned to the G League’s Maine Celtics for a practice on Monday afternoon. After this practice, the pair will be recalled to Boston where Porzingis will continue to ramp up his workload. No further updates on a timeline are available. Porzingis hasn’t yet made his 2024 debut after undergoing offseason leg surgery. Tillman isn’t injured but was a DNP-CD in Boston’s last game and is averaging 1.5 points on 26.1% shooting this season.
The Knicks are undefeated this season when Karl-Anthony Towns has at least four assists, and Ian Begley of SNY writes that the team believes his passing has reached a new level. “He’s always been unselfish. He’s always been a team-first guy. But now I think he really sees things,” head coach Tom Thibodeau said. “He understands what the defense is trying to do. He knows if there is overhelp. He’s seeing the whole floor now. Initially, like most young guys, the vision was more narrow. It may have been on one guy. But now he sees more than one guy. He sees the defense, he knows where everyone is. (He knows) if there’s overhelp, I can fake here and throw there. That goes a long way.”

Atlantic Notes: McCain, Bona, Quickley, Pritchard

November 14th, 2024 at 7:21pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Sixers fell to 2-9 on Wednesday with their loss to the Cavaliers, but rookie Jared McCain continued to be a bright spot for his team. The Duke product scored career highs of 34 points and 10 assists in the loss, making six of his 13 three-point attempts. As Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer observes, McCain’s 34 points were the most by a rookie in a game this season and they came in his first career start.

“I just attribute [the career night] to my work,” McCain said. “I work so hard, so I feel like I need these games. I’m starting to learn more about being a lead guard. I feel like in college [at Duke], it was more off-ball. So definitely learning the process there, cutting back on turnovers and reading the game a little slower. But then again, I feel like I’m finding my shot, whether it’s midrange, getting to the rim, and obviously shooting the three.”

As we noted Wednesday, McCain has logged 30 or more minutes in each of his last four games. Without Tyrese Maxey, the Sixers are leaning more on the rookie’s guard skills.

“Obviously, another great game for him,” head coach Nick Nurse said. “I think the biggest thing was the 10 assists for me. I know 34 is a huge number. Again, he’s mostly been doing it one way. And to do that you are starting to … create. I felt he did a good job for the most part, getting it out to other people to get some buckets. And that’s pretty fast learning, right?”

As Pompey notes, McCain is one of five Sixers to play in every game, and his 13.5 points per contest rank fourth on the team. He’s making 38.5% of his three-point attempts this season.

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Fellow Sixers rookie Adem Bona received his first big minutes on Wednesday against the Cavaliers. Bona produced four points and nine rebounds in 17 minutes, which left him feeling encouraged, Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes. “It felt amazing having the opportunity to do what I do out there,” Bona said. “The coaches trusted me, putting me in the game. That was like a little confidence boost for me, to show the coach I can contribute and help the team.” Bona might not play much this season, but he got this opportunity with Joel Embiid out due to injury management and Andre Drummond sidelined due to an illness. “He should be excited to get his opportunity,” Nurse said. “Let’s see what he does with it.“
The first anniversary of the trade for Immanuel Quickley is coming up for the Raptors, but he has only played 25 games alongside fellow cornerstone Scottie Barnes, Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca writes. Quickley and Barnes have traded off time on the injured list since the acquisition, and Quickley’s now likely to miss about a month with a UCL injury, Grange notes.
The four-year, $30MM deal Payton Pritchard signed with the Celtics in 2023 continues to look like a bargain, Brian Robb of MassLive.com writes. Pritchard has been a tremendous factor in the rotation this season, averaging 16.2 points per game while shooting 42.7% from three. His 23 points on Wednesday against Brooklyn helped the Celtics turn an 11-point first-half deficit into a blowout win. “Payton’s been excellent,” teammate Jaylen Brown said. “He’s been great, and that’s what we need. He’s been a superstar in his role. It’s almost like now it’s kind of expected because he’s done it so much and he’s done it so well. But obviously, it’s a long season. We’ve got to keep encouraging and finding him. And at times even playing through him; let Payton run the show. I don’t mind, especially when guys have a role in it. Just have the mindset that we’re a team, and whatever it takes to get it done.“

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