Southeast Notes: Diabate, Magic, Snyder, AD, Wizards
The Hornets could be missing their starting center when they play at Orlando on Friday to determine the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Moussa Diabate is questionable to suit up for the elimination game due to left hip soreness, Charlotte announced (via Twitter).
A French big man, Diabate recorded eight points, 14 rebounds and a block in 36 minutes during Tuesday’s play-in victory over Miami. The 24-year-old averaged 7.9 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 1.9 APG and 1.0 BPG in 73 appearances this season (26.0 MPG).
Here’s more from the Southeast:
- The Magic are looking to bounce back on Friday after dropping Wednesday’s play-in game at Philadelphia, writes Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. Orlando won its October 30 matchup with the Hornets by 16 points, but lost its final three regular season contests against Charlotte by 15, 27, and 19 points. “They’ve kicked our ass this year,” Paolo Banchero said about the Hornets. “So we’ve got to be ready. I’ve got to be ready. And we’ve got to be locked in from the jump. I thought we played hard (Wednesday), but it wasn’t enough. And so it’s going to take even more of an effort, and it’s going to take me playing better, as well, for us to get the win.”
- Head coach Quin Snyder deserves kudos for helping the Hawks turn their season around, according to Ken Segiura of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (subscriber link). The Hawks made multiple big trades that reshaped their roster after injuries foiled their offseason plans, but they closed out the regular season by going 20-6 after the All-Star break, the third-best mark in the NBA over that span. “He’s done a great job just adjusting to the personnel,” guard CJ McCollum said of Snyder. “We’ve changed and really looked at our team, how we play, how certain guys’ games have evolved over the course of the season, which also happens. We’ve added stuff, we’ve taken stuff out, we’ve kind of evaluated what works, what doesn’t work and what’s going to work for this group.”
- Trae Young and Alex Sarr are among the Wizards who have expressed excitement about playing with Anthony Davis in 2026/27, per Chase Hughes of Monumental Sports Network. “I’ve never played with a player as talented or as special as A.D. is. We haven’t gotten to play on the court yet, but we’ve talked about a lot of things,” Young said. “We talked about what it would look like when we do get on the court together.”
Wizards Plan To Retain Brian Keefe For 2026/27
The Wizards intend to bring back head coach Brian Keefe for the 2026/27 season, according to Josh Robbins of The Athletic. General manager Will Dawkins confirmed as much during his end-of-season media session on Thursday, as Michael Scotto of HoopsHype relays (Twitter video link).
“Yeah, I anticipate Brian Keefe to be here,” Dawkins said when asked to clarify whether the Wizards plan to retain their coach.
Keefe has compiled an ugly 43-160 (.212) record since replacing Wes Unseld Jr. on Washington’s bench midway through the 2023/24 season. However, the franchise has been deep in rebuilding mode during that time and hasn’t necessarily wanted to be competitive, with a greater emphasis placed on draft position and player development.
As Robbins explains, the front office has appreciated the work Keefe has done over the last couple years with big man Alex Sarr, forward Kyshawn George, and liked the progress that rookies Tre Johnson, Will Riley, and Jamir Watkins made over the course of this season. Even after acquiring veteran stars Anthony Davis and Trae Young in mid-season trades, the team wants to continue prioritizing player development in the coming years, Robbins writes, and therefore views Keefe as good fit going forward.
Keefe also endeared himself to team officials based on his “willingness to collaborate with the front office,” according to Robbins, who adds that the head coach is well-liked by Wizards players.
Team president Michael Winger said in January that he believes Keefe has helped to establish a culture of competitiveness in D.C.
Southeast Notes: Knueppel, W. Carter, Keefe, Sarr
Several members of the Hornets — including head coach Charles Lee, executive vice president of basketball operations Jeff Peterson, and Brandon Miller — recently explained why they think Kon Knueppel deserves to be named Rookie of the Year, writes Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer.
“I understand why the race is tight,” Lee said. “The rookie class this year has been pretty impressive. [Cooper] Flagg is one of the guys that’s up there, and I think that he’s shown some good moments. But I said it about a month ago, to me it’s not even close. I still feel that way.
“I think that this period of time has shown it even more, when you have a guy that’s been as productive as Kon has been, when he’s been as consistent as he is, and as efficient as he’s been on a playoff-caliber team. I think that’s pretty impressive.
“There’s things that show historically what he’s been able to do as a rookie,” Lee continued. “but then there’s even some stats if you dive even deeper into the advanced stats and stuff, he’s just one of the best players in the NBA — not even just as a rookie.
“So, I can go on and on, but I think that he has definitely made his case just from a production, consistency and efficiency perspective, and also impacting winning games.”
We have more from around the Southeast:
- Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. broke his nose in Monday’s loss to Detroit and is wearing a protective mask, per Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. Entering Friday, Carter had already appeared in 76 games this season, eclipsing last year’s career high of 68. “It was something that’s been a goal of mine for the past two or three years,” he said. “So for it to actually come to life and me to able to be available for these games, it means a lot. But now it’s about being a little bit more consistent. I’ve had stretches throughout this year where I haven’t been playing my best basketball whether that’s from tiredness, injury or whatever. It’s just about being better while I’m out there.”
- Determining the future of head coach Brian Keefe will be the first order of business for the Wizards this offseason, according to Josh Robbins of The Athletic. While Monumental Basketball president Michael Winger spoke highly of the job Keefe has done the past two seasons, there has been a sense around the league that it might be difficult for Keefe to transition from coaching a tanking team to a group trying to be more competitive in 2026/27, Robbins notes.
- Wizards big man Alex Sarr is “unlikely” to play in Washington’s season finale on Sunday, Keefe said earlier this week (story via The Associated Press). The French center, who was selected second overall in the 2024 draft, will end up missing the final nine games of his season season due to a left toe injury.
Southeast Notes: Snyder, Hawks, Hornets, Wizards, Hardy
Quin Snyder became the 41st head coach in NBA history to record 500 victories as the Hawks won Saturday for the 15th time in 17 games, writes Maura Carey of The Associated Press. Atlanta is currently 42-33, the No. 6 seed in an extremely tight Eastern Conference playoff race.
“It was special,” Snyder said after the game. “When you’ve been in this league for a while, you realize that coaches, they keep your record, but it’s really the players and the other people that allow for that to happen. I’ve been really lucky to be able to coach some not just really good players, but just really quality people.”
As Carey notes, multiple Hawks players are having career years in 2025/26 under Synder, who holds a career record of 500-396 (.558) across 12 seasons with Utah and Atlanta.
Trade deadline acquisition Jock Landale, who recorded 19 points, 13 rebounds, four assists and two blocks as a fill-in starter in Saturday’s win over Sacramento, praised his new coach after the game.
“Quin’s incredible, honestly, and I don’t say that lightly. He’s been instrumental in just kind of getting me up to speed with exactly what’s going on,” Landale said. “He’s a great coach to play for, and I think that all 17 of us would say the exact same thing about him.”
Here’s more from around the Southeast:
- The Hornets entered Saturday having won five straight games and 23 of their last 29. They led the 76ers by five points entering the fourth quarter in Saturday’s critical matchup for postseason positioning, but went 0-4 on twos and 5-of-18 on threes in the fourth quarter and their cold offensive spell trickled over to the other end, according to head coach Charles Lee. “In that fourth quarter especially, just our defensive focus started to wane a little bit as we were missing shots,” Lee said (story via Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer). “The guys did a good job the last few games of just not letting that be the case ever. Our shot-making can’t affect our defense and I thought I did a little bit. Too many guys just driving without that physicality piece. Too many back doors, too many offensive rebounds and clutch moments. Offensively, I thought that our pace started to slow down a little bit. And we were able to really put them in some compromising situations, created a lot of advantages when we played fast and played with great ball movement.”
- Hornets wing Kon Knueppel has been incredibly productive and efficient as a rookie this season. He has only missed one game in 2025/26, averaging 19.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists on .485/.434/.864 shooting splits in 73 appearances (31.6 minutes per game). The Sixers had the third pick in last year’s draft and used it to take VJ Edgecombe, who has also been excellent as a rookie, one pick ahead of Knuppel. Head coach Nick Nurse praised the former Duke standout on Saturday, Boone writes in the same story. “Lots of people really liked him in the draft for sure, and he’s proved those people right and the people that didn’t, he’s proved those people wrong,” Nurse said. “For me, I just think he was a hooper, man. You just knew he was a competitor, and knew how to play and had lots of pieces to the game as well. He’s again one of those guys that he’ll rebound, he’ll block out, he’ll set screens — he knows how to play all parts of the game. And then, of course, he throws on that elite shooting skill … His elite skill is the shooting, and I think that’s what makes him so good, so valuable.” Knueppel pulled down 11 rebounds on Saturday but had his third-worst shooting game of the season (3-for-14 from the field).
- Forward Bilal Coulibaly had 21 points and six rebounds in the Wizards‘ close loss to Golden State on Friday but only played 19 minutes, including zero in the fourth quarter. Guard Bub Carrington (16 points and five assists in 26 minutes) also didn’t play in the fourth quarter, while second year-big man Alex Sarr was allowed to foul out of the game in the third quarter. Head coach Brian Keefe was asked about those decisions after the game, according to Nate Duncan (Twitter link), and said all three players had hit their minutes limits. As for not playing in the fourth quarter, Keefe said the team was prioritizing its players’ health and that the Wizards didn’t want to disrupt their rotations.
- Jaden Hardy has been on fire from three-point range since the Wizards acquired him from Dallas in last month’s Anthony Davis trade, per Chase Hughes of Monumental Sports Network. The 23-year-old guard is averaging 13.3 PPG while shooting 43.9% from long distance in 18 games with Washington (20.4 MPG). “There’s a bunch of players out there who haven’t gotten their opportunity, but they have game. If you get the opportunity, you have to just try to take full advantage of it and that’s what I’m trying to do… I feel like it’s a great opportunity for me over here. It’s a young team, so I feel like I fit in,” Hardy said.
Eastern Notes: Banchero, Poole, Pistons, P. Williams
Magic forward Paolo Banchero admits the first half of the season didn’t go the way he or the team wanted it to, but he has been playing excellent basketball over the past few weeks. The former No. 1 overall pick tells Marc J. Spears of Andscape he was motivated by not making the All-Star team.
“I’m always honest with myself,” Banchero told Andscape. “I looked in the mirror first. Over the All-Star break, I watched a lot of film over the early part of the season. I just wasn’t happy with what I put out. Some of that had to do with me being injured and coming back. …
“I could’ve had a better mindset, and that was part of it. But I know I’m an All-Star in this league. My confidence is still the same. It’s about being honest with yourself and realizing that you didn’t really deserve to be an All-Star, honestly. It’s about taking that with a grain of salt and being better in the second half of the season.”
In his 10 games (36.1 MPG) since the break, Banchero is averaging 26.2 points, 9.2 rebounds and 5.7 assists (3.8 turnovers) on .508/.341/.822 shooting. The Magic are 7-3 in that span and currently have their longest winning streak of the season at four games.
“Paolo has been ultra-aggressive attacking, getting early baskets,” head coach Jamahl Mosley told Spears. “He’s also been taking on the best player assignments defensively.”
Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:
- Jordan Poole was disappointed he was traded by the Wizards over the summer, as he says he was told he was in the team’s long-term plans. “That’s what I was looking forward to,” Poole told Josh Robbins of The Athletic. “But it’s the NBA, so things happen differently.” According to Robbins, Poole’s tenure with the Wizards was largely “misunderstood.” While the team was abysmal during his two seasons, Poole was beloved by his teammates, who rushed over to greet the veteran guard after Sunday’s game in New Orleans. Kyshawn George, Alex Sarr and Bilal Coulibaly all have said Poole helped boost their confidence, Robbins writes. “He just kept my head straight,” George said. “I didn’t necessarily shoot it well at the beginning of (last) season, but he was always there to tell me, ‘Keep going. Keep going. We need you to make shots at the end of the season. We need you to make shots through the next couple of years on the road, the important shots.’ (He was) just making sure that I stick with my habits, and I don’t lose confidence. I think that’s a big thing for me that he taught me: (With) 82 games in the NBA season, the first 15 don’t define you, the first 30 don’t define you. It’s really how you finish. And when it’s time to really play and hoop, you’ve got to show up.”
- The Pistons snapped their four-game losing streak on Tuesday with a 38-point road victory at Brooklyn, per Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. “We’ve been playing high-level basketball all year. Had a little bit of a dip,” Cade Cunningham said in his post-game interview. “Every team has a moment in the season where they think the sky is falling. We had that and we just wanted to get back on the right track.”
- Bulls head coach Billy Donovan is optimistic better days are ahead for Patrick Williams, per Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. “He’s turned out to be a really good catch-and-shoot three-point shooter, but one of the things he was getting himself into trouble [with] was putting it down on the floor — traffic, turnovers,” Donovan said. “For him, it’s just a consistency part. He’s shown more consistent signs this year than he has in the past, but I still feel like there’s more there for him. I believe that.” The sixth-year forward has battled injuries in recent weeks and Williams’ contract — he’s in the second season of a five-year, $90MM deal — is “effectively immovable,” Cowley writes.
Alex Sarr Set To Return Sunday For Wizards
Big man Alex Sarr isn’t on the Wizards‘ injury report for Sunday’s game at New Orleans, which means he’ll be back in action tonight.
Sarr, the second overall pick in the 2024 draft, has been out since February 8 due to a strained hamstring. The French center has missed the team’s last 10 games.
As Josh Robbins of The Athletic tweets, Sunday will be Sarr’s first game playing with Trae Young, who made his Wizards debut on Thursday. The two players could be fixtures in Washington’s lineup going forward, so it will be interesting to see how they fit together on the court, Robbins notes.
Sarr has made impressive strides in his second NBA season. Through 41 appearances, the 20-year-old has averaged 17.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.0 blocks in 28.2 minutes per game, with a shooting slash line of .496/.336/.691.
While it’s obviously good news that Sarr has recovered from his injury, the Wizards will likely be cautious with one of their core players. There’s a good chance he’ll be on a minutes restriction for at least his first few games back.
And-Ones: Peterson, 2024 Draft, East Race, Yurtseven, Richardson
Controversy surrounding Darryn Peterson, who has been in and out of the Kansas lineup, won’t significantly impact his draft stock, Brian Lewis of the New York Post reports in a subscriber-only story. A projected top-three pick who could be the first player off the board in June, Peterson has missed 11 games and departed early in some others.
“I don’t think Peterson — or (Cameron) Boozer or (AJ) Dybantsa — will play their way out of the top three,” former Sixers scout Michael VandeGarde told Lewis. “Those three guys are special. It’s probably ‘eye of the beholder.’ Peterson is spectacular.”
We have more from around the international basketball world:
- The 2024 draft class was projected to be a weak one and it has lived up to its billing, John Hollinger of The Athletic opines. He notes the Spurs’ Stephon Castle and Wizards’ Alex Sarr are the only draft picks that could be considered one of their team’s three best players. Donovan Clingan, Kel’el Ware, Jaylon Tyson and Ajay Mitchell are the only other draft picks who have established themselves as starting-caliber players.
- NBA executives generally believe the Eastern Conference is up for grabs once the playoffs begin despite the Pistons‘ gaudy record, ESPN’s Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst report. One Eastern Conference GM said “six or seven” teams could emerge from the pack, as each contender has some flaws. Another unnamed executive believes there will be consequences for some contenders that come up short of the Eastern Finals. “There’s two to three teams that are going to have some real fallout if they don’t make the conference finals,” that team president said. “That’s the case every year, I know, but there’s not a lot of honeymoons going on in the East.”
- Former Heat and Jazz center Omer Yurtseven has departed Greece’s Panathinaikos BC, Sportando relays. Yurtseven had trouble establishing a meaningful role with the Greek club. In this EuroLeague season, Yurtseven averaged 6.3 points and 3.5 rebounds per game.
- Veteran NBA wing Josh Richardson has parted ways with Spain’s Casademont Zaragoza, according to Eurohoops.net. A veteran of 10 NBA seasons with 584 appearances on six teams, including 30 playoff games, Richardson reached a mutual agreement with the Spanish club to terminate his contract. Signing on January 23, he averaged 9.6 points per contest across five appearances in the FIBA Europe Cup and Spain’s Liga Endesa.
Southeast Notes: Bane, Davis, Gardner, Heat, Giannis
It continues to be an up-and-down season for the Magic, who hold a 30-26 record and the No. 7 spot in the Eastern Conference standings. However, as Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (subscription required) writes, they’ve gotten all they could’ve hoped for out of veteran wing Desmond Bane after surrendering a package that included four first-round picks to acquire him last summer.
Bane is one of just two Magic players to appear in all 56 games so far. And after scoring 34 and 36 points in the team’s back-to-back set in Phoenix and L.A. over the weekend, his scoring average is up to 20.1 points per game on .483/.388/.913 shooting. The 27-year-old is also chipping in 4.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists per night.
“He reminds me of a lot of older guys in this league,” teammate Wendell Carter Jr. said of Bane, per Beede. “Guys who have established themselves and have a mindset of, he’s going to play his game no matter what. His process is going to remain the same.
“Early on (in the season), he was struggling a little bit but one thing about it, he stuck to what he knows he’s good at. And now we’re seeing the benefits of what trading for a guy like that does. His continued elevation just shows he’s one of the best in this league in terms of his position, shooting the 3-ball, getting downhill, facilitating, play-making … He’s exactly what we need.”
The Magic have Bane under team control through the 2028/29 season. He’s owed $126.5MM on the final three years of his contract.
Here’s more from around the Southeast:
- Wizards big man Anthony Davis has yet to debut for his new team as he recovers from a hand injury, but he expressed excitement about his fit on the roster in a conversation with Wes Hall of Monumental Sports Network (YouTube link). Davis said he believes he and Trae Young can be a “dynamic duo” on offense and that he’s looking forward to teaming up with former No. 2 overall pick Alex Sarr on the other side of the ball. “On the defensive end, it’s going to be insane,” Davis said, lauding the young Frenchman for his versatility and ability to protect the rim.
- Less than a week after signing his first standard NBA contract, Heat swingman Myron Gardner was forced to give up a chunk of his salary, having been fined $35K by the league for his role in an altercation with Grizzlies guard Scotty Pippen Jr. As Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald writes, Gardner insists he didn’t mean to bump Pippen from behind, while head coach Erik Spoelstra said he thinks the NBA is “making a point” with the fine, since the altercation spilled into the crowd. “We disagree with (Gardner’s fine),” Spoelstra said. “Pippen is the one that pushed it into the stands, and Myron didn’t really retaliate. Once he was on the ground, he was laughing. So if it was somebody else, I don’t think it would have been (a) $35,000 fine. But we’ll move on.”
- With the Heat set to visit Milwaukee on Tuesday, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald checks in on where things stand with Miami’s pursuit of Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, which was put on hold after the trade deadline passed without a deal. The Heat will be able to offer up to four first-round picks for Antetokounmpo this summer, Jackson notes, though it remains to be seen whether or not they’ll get the opportunity to seriously reengage the Bucks in trade talks, since Giannis could decide to stay in Milwaukee or the Bucks could get another offer they like more.
Southeast Notes: Banchero, Magic, Sarr, AD, Whitmore, Dennis
Fourth-year forward Paolo Banchero doesn’t seem enthusiastic about the Magic‘s offensive system, according to Josh Robbins of The Athletic. Asked after Wednesday’s loss to Milwaukee whether Orlando was playing to its potential in half-court offense, Banchero replied, “I think our record answers that question, honestly. I’m not going to sit here and harp on the problems with our offense or what I think is wrong with our offense. But I don’t think anyone would say that it’s where it should be or could be.”
As Robbins writes, the Magic currently rank 23rd in the league in points per possession in the half court. Injuries to key players (Banchero, Jalen Suggs, Franz Wagner) have once again been an issue, and floor spacing and outside shooting remain problems as well, despite the blockbuster trade to acquire Desmond Bane.
The Magic entered the season with aspirations of being a top-four seed in the Eastern Conference, but they’re currently 28-25, the No. 7 seed. They’re 16th in the NBA in offensive rating, with a -0.4 net rating that ranks 17th. They have also lost their defensive identity, currently ranking 14th after being second and third in that category the previous two years, Robbins notes.
Big man Wendell Carter Jr. says the team’s offensive woes have bled into the defense.
“(It’s) human nature,” Carter said. “It’s an offensive-driven league. Everybody wants to do good offensively, including myself, and sometimes we fall into that aspect of when it’s not going our way offensively, we allow it to affect our effort. We allow it to affect our defense. We allow it to affect us getting back (on defense after we miss shots). And that’s something, as a fairly young team, that we have to do a better job of, including myself.”
While president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman has publicly backed head coach Jamahl Mosley, Robbins wonders if Weltman will reassess that stance if the Magic struggle after the All-Star break. Orlando has been one of the more disappointing and underachieving teams this season, Robbins writes, even when accounting for injuries.
Here’s more from the Southeast:
- As Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel writes, the Magic enter the All-Star break in a similar position as they have been the past couple years. They were 30-25 at the break two years ago and 27-29 last season. They wound up making the playoffs during both of those campaigns, but lost in the first round each time. “We’ve kind of been in the same position every year so … coming off the All-Star break is when we’ve got to start to turn it up,” Banchero said. “But at the end of the day, we’ve got to figure out how we can be better for the postseason because we don’t want to have the same result as the last two years. We’ve got to come out hungry off the break … and figure out what type of team we want to be.”
- Wizards center Alex Sarr is confident about how he’ll fit next to Anthony Davis once both players are healthy, per Bijan Todd of Monumental Sports Network. “He has a very complete game. I can also step out and play inside-out, so I think it’ll be pretty seamless [playing alongside him],” Sarr said. “Just getting the reps in, that’s definitely going to help us.”
- Wizards wing Cam Whitmore is out for the remainder of his third season after being diagnosed with a deep vein thrombosis — a form of blood clot — in his right shoulder. He recently discussed the serious health issue, which required three surgeries to address, with play-by-play announcer Chris Mills of Monumental Sports Network (Twitter video link).
- Second-year guard RayJ Dennis, who is on a two-way contract with the Hawks, has set a G League scoring record with the College Park Skyhawks (Twitter link). Dennis scored a franchise-record 47 points on Thursday, per the Skyhawks, and is the first player in team history to have multiple games with 45-plus points.
Ace Bailey, Bub Carrington, Jahmir Young Added To Rising Stars Event
Jazz forward Ace Bailey, Wizards guard Bub Carrington and Heat guard Jahmir Young have been selected to participate in Friday’s Rising Stars competition as injury replacements, the NBA announced in a series of tweets.
Bailey will replace Mavericks star Cooper Flagg, who is unavailable due to a left midfoot sprain, while Carrington will take the place of his Wizards teammate, Alex Sarr, who is sidelined by a strained hamstring. Young will fill in for Bulls guard Mac McClung, who is out with a right calf injury.
Bailey will be part of Team Melo, coached by Carmelo Anthony, Carrington will be on Team T-Mac, coached by Tracy McGrady, and Young is on Team Austin, coached by Austin Rivers.
Selected with the fifth pick in last year’s draft, Bailey is part of a talented rookie class throughout the league. The 19-year-old has appeared in 48 games, making 37 starts, and is averaging 11.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 26.2 minutes per night with .449/.343/.708 shooting numbers.
Carrington, 20, was the 14th pick in the 2024 draft. He hasn’t missed a game in his NBA career and is averaging 10.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 4.6 assists in his second season with .402/.393/.761 shooting splits.
Young has spent most of the season in the G League and has only appeared in eight games with Miami. The 25-year-old is averaging 26.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and 9.8 assists in 16 regular season games with Sioux Falls.
The Rising Stars event will match three teams consisting of NBA rookies and sophomores, along with a fourth team of G League players. They will compete in a three-game tournament to crown the winner.