Chet Holmgren Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Northwest Notes: Jazz, Sensabaugh, Billups, Holmgren

December 7th, 2023 at 5:33pm CST by Rory Maher

After defeating Portland over the weekend, the Jazz took a significant step back on Wednesday, as they lost to Dallas by 50 points. Head coach Will Hardy didn’t mince words about Utah’s abysmal showing, writes Sarah Todd of The Deseret News.

“That was an absolutely horrendous performance from start to finish,” Hardy said. “That was a masterpiece of dogs–t.”

In order to slow the Mavs’ high-powered offense, the Jazz planned to be “as physical and intense on defense as possible,” Todd notes. Instead, they gave up 147 points — including a historic 29-point triple-double to Luka Doncic in the first half.

“I was most disappointed with our defensive intensity to start the game,” Hardy said. “I think defensively it was poor the entire night.”

Here’s more from the Northwest:

After primarily playing power forward in college at Ohio State, Jazz first-round pick Brice Sensabaugh has been adjusting to playing on the wing at the professional level, and he hopes it will lead to NBA minutes, according to Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune (subscription required). The 20-year-old was selected 28th overall in June, but he has only played two minutes for Utah to this point, having spent most of his time in the G League. “Yeah, obviously, times change and roles change, especially coming to the NBA with the best players in the world,” he said. “… I kind of played the 4 in college, to be honest, so I was in more of those back-to-the-basket situations. But now, being a 2, maybe a 3, [I’m] just trying to come off pin-downs and come off screens sometimes, just trying to see the game better, and learn. And it’s way different — this game is way different than college, even the G League [is way different than college]. The floor has more space, there’s just more stuff to work with, better players.”
Jason Quick of The Athletic takes an in-depth look at Chauncey Billups‘ impact on the Trail Blazers, as well his personal growth as head coach. Portland is just 6-14, and Billups has been hard on the group at times, but the team has responded to his criticisms and has become unusually selfless and connected, Quick writes. “With Chauncey, it’s never personal. And he makes that very clear,” Matisse Thybulle said. “I think some coaches may say that, just so they can get those little personal jabs in there to disguise it, but Chauncey is straight up. He’s really honest.”
Chet Holmgren — the Western Conference’s reigning Rookie of the Month — has exceeded expectations and is changing the Thunder‘s trajectory, according to Rylan Stiles of ThunderousIntentions.com, who says the 21-year-old’s dynamic two-way game could make Oklahoma City a contender sooner rather than later.

Chet Holmgren, Jaime Jaquez Named Rookies Of The Month

December 4th, 2023 at 2:39pm CST by Rory Maher

Thunder big man Chet Holmgren and Heat wing Jaime Jaquez have been named the rookies of the month for the Western and Eastern Conferences, respectively, the NBA announced on Monday (via Twitter). Since the 2023/24 season started in late October, the awards count games played in both October and November.

The No. 2 overall pick of the 2022 draft, Holmgren missed all of last season due to a foot injury. In his first taste of regular season action, he filled the stat sheet in impressive fashion, averaging 17.9 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.1 blocks on .537/.410/.871 shooting in 18 games over the past two months (30.0 minutes).

The Thunder are currently 13-6, the No. 2 seed in the West. Holmgren is tied for second on the team in points per game, and leads OKC in rebounding and blocked shots.

Jaquez, who was selected No. 18 overall in this year’s draft, has stepped into a major rotation role for Miami and fit in seamlessly, averaging 12.0 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.1 steals on .529/.390/.875 shooting in his first 19 games, including four starts (26.6 minutes).

The Heat have dealt with several injuries again this fall and are currently 11-9, the No. 7 seed in the East.

According to the NBA (Twitter link), the other nominees in the West were Jordan Hawkins, Dereck Lively and Victor Wembanyama, while Brandon Miller, Craig Porter Jr. and Ausar Thompson were nominated in the East. Porter, who went undrafted out of Wichita State, is the lone player on a two-way contract who was nominated — all the others were first-round picks.

And-Ones: Okafor, Ferrell, Rookies, Player Empowerment

November 25th, 2023 at 10:09am CST by Tristan Tucker

Signing with Zaragoza in Spain hasn’t gone exactly according to plan for former No. 3 overall pick Jahlil Okafor, with the team stumbling out to a 3-7 record after he signed this summer. According to Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia, Okafor is now departing Zaragoza to sign with a Chinese club, the Zhejiang Lions, who will pay for his buyout.

It sounds like the magnitude of the offer received from Zhejiang was the biggest sticking point for Okafor, and that it was more than he could’ve received from Zaragoza, as detailed in a piece from BasketNews.com.

Zaragoza head coach Porfirio Fisac openly discussed his thought process on the matter before Okafor left, as relayed by BasketNews.com.

“If he leaves, for me right now in his career, it’s a mistake,” Fisac said. “I think he’d be mistaken. He’s played 15 or 20 games and is in good physical condition. It is true that he still has a lot to improve, but we cannot put more pressure on him in terms of changes of pace and efforts.

“We are taking care of him. If he stays here, his career will be extended by 10 years. If he goes somewhere else, he will play five more years. It all depends on where the money is or whether you want to earn it today or later. Everyone has their own way of thinking.”

Okafor, 27, holds six seasons of NBA experience across stints with the Sixers, Nets, Pelicans and Pistons. His last NBA appearance came in 2020/21 with Detroit. He averages 10.4 points and 4.7 rebounds in 247 games (116 starts) for his career.

We have more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Former NBA guard Yogi Ferrell is receiving overseas interest, with Serbian club Partizan reaching out to the 30-year-old guard, according to Eurohoops.net. Partizan is currently dealing with injury issues in the backcourt, leading to their interest in Ferrell. Ferrell appeared in 259 games (53 starts) across five seasons in the NBA with the Nets, Mavericks, Kings, Cavaliers and Clippers. His last NBA appearance came in 2020/21 and he holds career averages of 7.7 points and 2.3 assists.
While Chet Holmgren and Victor Wembanyama have seemingly made the NBA’s Rookie of the Year award a two-man race early in the season, the entire crop of first-year players has been impressive. The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie took stock of rookies across the league, ranking Dereck Lively, Brandon Miller, Ausar Thompson, Jordan Hawkins and Cason Wallace as the next five (in order) behind Holmgren and Wembanyama on the league’s rookie ladder. It’s a different take on the rookie class than what ESPN’s Bobby Marks and Kevin Pelton offered last week — ESPN’s duo was a touch higher on Detroit’s Marcus Sasser and lower on Lively, though all of Marks, Pelton and Vecenie agreed Holmgren was the overall most impressive rookie so far.
This summer’s trade requests from Damian Lillard and James Harden added another chapter to the NBA’s player empowerment saga. According to Heavy Sports’ Steve Bulpett, NBA owners are seeking ways to prevent or minimize the practice of players demanding trades in the fashion we’ve been accustomed to. “I think the whole player empowerment piece that has been running in the league for last couple of years? I think it’s about run its course, because so many just haven’t worked out,” Bulpett’s Eastern Conference source said.

Thunder Notes: Top Trio, Bertans, K. Williams, Holmgren

November 14th, 2023 at 5:29pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Thunder trio of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren have excelled during their first 10 games together. Oklahoma City should be a perennial threat going forward, but coach Mark Daigneault cautions that there are many lessons to be learned before the team reaches a championship level, per Anthony Slater of The Athletic.

“Wisdom is not something you can shortcut,” Daigneault said. “We have to have a level of patience. It’s something you can’t fast forward.”

We have more on the Thunder:

Forward Davis Bertans, who was traded by the Spurs in 2019, believes San Antonio will soon become a free agent destination thanks to Victor Wembanyama. The Spurs rookie and Holmgren will face each other in a much-anticipated matchup on Tuesday. “I think once everyone sees they have the potential to win, then yes. Especially when they don’t have any max or super max players at the moment,” Bertans told Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News. “There is plenty of money available. So they can make something happen, maybe.”
Bertans is now OKC’s oldest player at 31 and he has tried to impart his knowledge to his teammates. “I definitely have some experience. I can help with that,” he said. “Most of the guys on the team, I’ve been in the same type of position they’ve been in before. I try to help any way I can.” Bertans is signed through next season, though he holds an early termination option on his $16MM salary for 2024/25, which is only partially guaranteed for $5MM.
Kenrich Williams is available to play for the first time this season. Williams, who was sidelined by a back injury, can’t wait to suit up, Joel Lorenzi of The Oklahoman tweets. “Felt like the night before Christmas,” he said on Tuesday morning.
Holmgren has become the focus of the national media but he doesn’t want to be the focal point of the team. He’s trying to blend his skills to his teammates in his first year, he told Lorenzi. “I just tried to come in and find the balance between being aggressive and not making it the Chet show,” Holmgren said. “It’s not that, it’ll never be that.” Thus far, Holmgren is averaging 16.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.3 blocks per game.

Northwest Notes: Porter, Camara, Kessler, Chet

November 5th, 2023 at 1:56pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Grade 3 ankle strain Nuggets small forward Michael Porter Jr. incurred heading into the 2023/24 season remains an issue. Ported admits that his ankle is still less than 100% healed, estimating its recovery level at 75%, tweets Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports. The 6’10” vet notes that he is dogged by soreness following games, but adds that it continues to improve.

Porter has remained productive regardless of his ankle’s health, averaging 15.0 PPG on .460/.380/.857 shooting. He’s also contributing 7.9 RPG, 1.9 APG, 0.9 BPG and 0.6 SPG.

There’s more out of the Northwest Division:

Trail Blazers rookie power forward Toumani Camara is emerging as a rotation staple at this early point of the season. Camara even started in the second half of Portland’s Friday win ahead of Matisse Thybulle, Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report tweets.
Following a 115-113 loss to the Magic Thursday, second-year Jazz center Walker Kessler addressed his disappointing start to the season, Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune reports. His numbers are down across the board from an All-Rookie 2022/23 campaign, and he’s struggling to control the ball as well as he did last year. “Yeah, you know, I think I gotta get back to just having fun,” Kessler said in addressing how he hopes to bounce back. “Because at the end of the day, it is a game. I’ve got to have fun competing and playing with my teammates and enjoy that, because that’s when I have my most productive games — when I’m trying to win and trying to have fun.”
Warriors star forward Draymond Green was impressed by rookie Thunder center Chet Holmgren during Golden State’s 141-139 last-second win over Oklahoma City, writes Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area. “Chet’s a problem,” Green said. “He can play. He can dribble the ball, he can shoot the ball, has great length, is a great shot blocker. He’s only going to get better. For a young guy like that to have the feel that he has, you don’t see many mistakes out of him. And I thought that was big.” Through six games, the seven-footer is averaging 17.2 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 2.7 APG, 2.3 BPG and 1.0 SPG.

Western Notes: Kerr, Vincent, Reaves, Kidd, Holmgren

November 3rd, 2023 at 11:43am CST by Luke Adams

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr suggested on a press call with international media on Thursday that he’d consider the idea of taking a sabbatical from the NBA if the longtime core players of his championship teams – Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green – were no longer the roster, according to Leonard Solms of ESPN.

“With the core group of Steph, Klay and Draymond, we’ve been together now almost a decade. If they were not here, I could see [myself] maybe taking a sabbatical,” Kerr said. “It might be refreshing and recharging to do so in some ways, but I love these guys and this team so much and we have this window and I’m not going anywhere for the time being. I want to be with them and continue to coach them [for] the next few years.”

Wary of burnout for both himself and his team, Kerr indicated that he plans to manage the workloads of the Warriors’ top players carefully this season in order to avoid fatigue and to keep them fresh. That could provide an opportunity for young players like Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody to play more significant roles on a more regular basis.

“I think the players will enjoy it, and I know the coaches are excited about it,” Kerr said. “We’re not going to treat it like the NBA Finals — I’m not going to play Steph Curry for 45 minutes because we have to think of the long-term health of our team — but we definitely want to win, and we’re going to be very competitive.”

Here’s more from around the Western Conference:

Lakers guard Gabe Vincent has been diagnosed with left knee effusion and will miss at least two weeks of action before being reevaluated, the team announced on Thursday night (Twitter link via Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times). With Vincent unavailable, more minutes should open up for reserve guard Max Christie behind starters D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves.
In Vincent’s absence, the Lakers will also need more from Reaves, who got off to a slow start this season following a big summer that saw him sign a four-year, $54MM contract and represent Team USA in the World Cup. The club is optimistic that a solid game against the Clippers on Wednesday will be a jumping-off point for Reaves, writes Dylan Hernandez of The Los Angeles Times.
Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd is battling a non-COVID illness and didn’t travel with the team to Denver for Friday’s game, sources tell Marc Stein (Twitter link). Assistant coach Sean Sweeney will be Dallas’ acting head coach for the team’s first in-season tournament game, Stein adds.
Following a lost rookie season, Thunder center Chet Holmgren is healthy again, and the way he’s playing on both ends of the court has clarified the team’s playing style, according to Zach Kram of The Ringer, who says the big man is also capable of accelerating Oklahoma City’s contention timeline.

Northwest Notes: Henderson, Holmgren, Markkanen, Dunn

October 27th, 2023 at 8:14pm CST by Rory Maher

Scoot Henderson, the third overall pick in the 2023 draft, had an inauspicious regular season debut in Wednesday’s loss at the Clippers, recording just two points and one assist until the fourth quarter, when the Trail Blazers were down 26 points to open the final frame.

As Bill Oram of The Oregonian writes, Henderson grew up emulating Russell Westbrook, who dominated the head-to-head matchup. The rookie point guard ultimately finished with 11 points (5-of-11 shooting), four assists and four turnovers after accumulating some garbage-time stats.

“There’s going to be some nights he’s going to look 19,” Blazers coach Chauncey Billups said. “Tonight was one of those nights.”

Still, the Blazers know they’re going to take their lumps in 2023/24, and it will all be about how Henderson and the rest of the team develop and respond, according to Oram.

Despite his opening night struggles, teammates and coaches said Henderson remained unflappable throughout the game, a testament to to his mentality and maturity, per Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian (subscriber link).

“I didn’t see him get frustrated all,” center Deandre Ayton said. “He was pretty calm and collected. He was talking to me more than anything … Even though he knew he made a couple of mistakes, he just went on to the next play and played harder. He handled it well as a professional, for sure.”

Portland and Henderson will look to bounce back in tonight’s home opener vs. Orlando, though starting backcourt mate Anfernee Simons is out four-to-six weeks after tearing a ligament in his thumb. Second-year guard Shaedon Sharpe will start in Simons’ place, Billups told reporters, including Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report (Twitter link).

Here’s more from the Northwest:

Thunder big man Chet Holmgren had to wait a year to make his regular season debut after missing all of last season with a foot injury. Was the second pick in 2022 nervous on Wednesday in Chicago? “More excitement, and I guess a little bit of (anxiety),” he said, per Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman. “Just the waiting part, knowing that eventually the ball’s gonna tip up. All day you’re just waiting for that moment.” Holmgren finished with 11 points, four rebounds, three assists, a steal and was plus-14 in 25 minutes, Mussatto notes.
Jazz head coach Will Hardy says Lauri Markkanen will have a difficult year, as the All-Star forward’s breakout season in 2022/23 has made him a “marked man” on opposing teams’ scouting reports, not to mention he’ll face increased scrutiny because of elevated expectations. However, Hardy is confident he’ll handle the extra attention well, writes Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune. “Yeah, I mean, they started making changes obviously during the last year, too. And we kind of knew what was going to come, so no surprises there,” Markkanen said after Wednesday’s loss to Sacramento. “But I think that’s a good challenge for me. I’m not gonna put my head down if I make a mistake or whatever. I’m here to get better every day.”
Kris Dunn recently had his contract for 2023/24 guaranteed by the Jazz, and he says he’s “super grateful for the opportunity” after dealing with injuries the past handful of seasons and working his way back to the NBA by playing in the G League for most of 2022/23, as Sarah Todd of The Deseret News details. “I fell in love with the game even more,” Dunn said of his time with the Capital City Go-Go. “When you’re down and out, you’ve got to find a way to really battle through and I just really, really worked on my fundamentals and tried to develop my game so that when the shot did come and present itself, I was ready.”

Thunder Exercise 2024/25 Team Options On Five Players

October 21st, 2023 at 2:46pm CST by Luke Adams

The Thunder have exercised their rookie scale team options for the 2024/25 season on five players, the team announced today in a press release. Those options are as follows:

Chet Holmgren (third year, $10,880,640)
Josh Giddey (fourth year, $8,352,367)
Ousmane Dieng (third year, $5,027,040)
Tre Mann (fourth year, $4,908,373)
Jalen Williams (third year, $4,775,760)

Most of these decisions were no-brainers. Holmgren, Giddey, and Williams project as long-term building blocks for the franchise. Dieng didn’t have a major role as a rookie but is only a year removed from being selected 11th overall in the 2022 draft.

The most noteworthy option pick-up of the bunch is Mann’s. The 22-year-old guard had a promising rookie season in 2021/22, averaging 10.4 points per game with a .360 3PT%, but saw his scoring average (7.7 PPG) and 3PT% (.315) dip last season as his playing time was cut back, from 22.8 minutes per game to 17.7 MPG.

Given the Thunder’s roster crunch this offseason, Mann looked like a candidate to be one of the odd men out, but today’s decision signals that the club has no plans to waive him. That leaves Jack White, whose 2023/24 salary is only partially guaranteed for $600K, as perhaps the most likely release candidate on the roster, though the club could go in another direction. Oklahoma City previously traded Victor Oladipo and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl to get down from 18 players on standard contracts to 16.

Giddey and Mann will now become eligible for rookie scale extensions next July, while the Thunder will have to decide by next October 31 whether to exercise their fourth-year options on Holmgren, Dieng, and Williams.

Northwest Notes: Jokic, Collins, Milton, Division Preview

October 14th, 2023 at 8:18am CST by Tristan Tucker

After winning the 2023 NBA Championship, Nuggets center Nikola Jokic made headlines throughout the summer by expressing his desire to go back home and then later partying in his hometown of Sombor, Serbia. ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk took a look back at “the summer of Jokic” and explored the center’s approach to the offseason.

Nuggets team president and governor Josh Kroenke didn’t text Jokic like normal this summer, Youngmisuk writes, instead allowing the two-time MVP to refresh.

“We all kind of left him alone,” Kroenke said. “For him to get away from basketball, be with his family and reconnect with who he is fundamentally is only going to be a benefit for the Nuggets and for basketball because he comes back fresh.”

Jokic claimed he only touched a basketball “a couple of times” this summer, but did stick to a routine he’s used through the past three years, which resulted in two MVPs and a championship, Youngmisuk details. Head coach Michael Malone noted the time of seemed to benefit Jokic mentally and when teammate Aaron Gordon came to visit during the summer, he was impressed by the depth of Jokic’s routine, according to Youngmisuk.

“He’s the best player in the world,” Gordon said. “He works out like a monster. … His regimen, his diet and how detail-oriented he is with his body, is second to none.”

Youngmisuk notes Jokic has been more vocal in practices and team settings, displaying a new type of confidence as he and the team aim for a second straight title.

“He’s only 28,” Gordon said. “So he’s going to get even smarter at manipulating the defense [and] offense. … I don’t see anybody stopping him. They still haven’t found the answer for him yet.”

We have more from the Northwest Division:

The Jazz traded for forward John Collins this offseason after he had a productive six seasons with Atlanta, averaging 15.8 points and 8.0 rebounds. However, both Collins and Utah’s coaching staff understand getting the 6’9″ forward acclimated in a new system might take some time, Sarah Todd of the Deseret News writes. “I have to adapt to a bunch of things that I wasn’t used to doing in Atlanta, and that’s part of the game, and I’m embracing it because it’s a new chapter for me and it also allows my game to grow,” Collins said.
Eight players in the Timberwolves‘ likely rotation for their first regular season game on October 25 were on the team at the end of last season, Chris Hine of The Star Tribune writes. However, Wolves head coach Chris Finch said he’d like to ideally play a nine-player rotation, and Hine believes free-agent addition Shake Milton is likely to be that ninth player. Minnesota signed Milton to a two-year, $10MM deal after the guard averaged 9.3 points and 2.7 assists across his first five NBA seasons in Philadelphia.
The Northwest Division hosts the defending champion Nuggets, but also one of the few rebuilding teams in the league in the Trail Blazers. Tony Jones, Jason Quick and Josh Robbins of The Athletic preview the division which features rising stars like the Jazz‘s Walker Kessler and the Timberwolves‘ Anthony Edwards. The trio is bullish on the Thunder‘s Chet Holmgren, with Jones saying Oklahoma City getting him back from injury is the best offseason “addition” in the division. Meanwhile, Quick and Robbins believe Denver losing Bruce Brown and Jeff Green are the moves with the biggest potential to backfire. I recommend checking out the article in full, if you’re an Athletic subscriber, to get a solid picture for the division next season.

Southwest Notes: Wembanyama, Holmgren, Liddell, Borrego, Irving

October 9th, 2023 at 5:20pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Spurs and Thunder will match up in Oklahoma City on Monday night. It will mark the first meeting between this year’s top pick, Victor Wembanyama, and 2022’s No. 2 pick Chet Holmgren, Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express News notes. It could be the beginning of a rivalry between two highly-touted bigs.

Both players are looking forward to getting it started.

“There’s an eagerness and an excitement for sure,” Holmgren said.

“Chet Holmgren, he’s a really good player,” Wembanyama said. “He is part of the great players of this generation, I would say.”

We have more from the Southwest Division:

E.J. Liddell had his rookie season delayed by a devastating right knee injury in July 2022. The Pelicans forward, who was on a two-way deal last season, received a three-year contract after a strong Summer League showing this July. He’s eager to show what he can do in regular season action. “I’m like a freshman again,” Liddell told Christian Clark of the New Orleans Times Picayune. “It’s my rookie year. Having fun right now. Wherever that leads me, it leads me.”
Former Hornets coach James Borrego is in charge of the Pelicans‘ offense this season. Head coach Willie Green, one of Borrego’s former players in Orlando, anticipates Borrego’s schemes will upgrade the attack, Clark writes in a separate story. “I don’t think it’s going to be a big overhaul,” Green said. “It’s just a matter of tweaks and adjustments that we feel can make us a better team. We want to play fast offensively. It’s no secret. I said it last year. We want to put teams on their heels. We want to get out and run.”
Kyrie Irving is dealing with left groin soreness and he’ll sit out the Mavericks’ exhibition game against Real Madrid in Spain on Tuesday, Marc Stein of The Stein Line tweets.