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Injury Updates: Middleton, Maxey, Booker, Wright, Tate

December 23rd, 2022 at 7:58pm CST by Rory Maher

After making his season debut on December 2 following offseason wrist surgery, Bucks wing Khris Middleton has now missed four consecutive games with right knee soreness. Head coach Mike Budenholzer provided an update on Middleton’s status ahead of Friday’s game against the Nets, tweets Eric Nehm of The Athletic.

“I think, I would say he is making progress, probably not at the rate we had hoped,” Budenholzer said. “To be able to get work in, to be ready to play — it’s really still, he only played I think four, five games — so there’s still that being ready for an NBA game and all that goes into that. So, we’ll see how the next 24, 48 hours go. … But I think overall we’re encouraged. And I think he’s in a good place and he’ll play when he’s ready. It’s a long season. We have to be patient. It’s hard for Khris. It’s hard for us, but just keep the big picture in mind always.”

While Budenholzer is typically vague when giving health updates, hopefully the fact that Middleton’s knee has been slow to respond doesn’t keep him out of action for much longer. Through seven games (24.6 MPG), the three-time All-Star is averaging 11.1 PPG, 2.6 RPG and 4.4 APG.

Here are some more injury updates from around the NBA:

Sixers head coach Doc Rivers isn’t confident that Tyrese Maxey will return for Sunday’s matchup against the Knicks, but he provided an encouraging update on Friday, per Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer. “He’s making great progress,” Rivers said. “[He] had a great workout [Thursday], so he’s close.” The third-year guard has been sidelined since November 18 after suffering a foot fracture.
Suns star Devin Booker has been dealing with groin soreness since Saturday’s victory over New Orleans, with Friday marking his third straight missed game. Head coach Monty Williams isn’t sure when the shooting guard will be back in action, according to Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports (Twitter link). “He’s been shooting the last couple of days. Not moving as much, but is progressing a bit…he’s chomping at the bit. As you can imagine, Book’s frustrated when he can’t play,” Williams said, adding that he wouldn’t speculate about whether Booker would play on Sunday.
The Wizards announced that guard Delon Wright, who has missed the team’s past 29 games with a hamstring injury, would be back in action on Friday against Sacramento, per Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington (Twitter link). Wright should bolster the Wizards’ defense, which ranks 22nd in the NBA.
Jae’Sean Tate has been sidelined since October 30 due to a right ankle injury, having made just three appearances for the Rockets thus far this season. However, head coach Stephen Silas said on Friday that the forward’s return “looks like it will be pretty soon,” tweets Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle.

Southeast Notes: Young, McMillan, Collins, Wright, Beal, Oladipo

December 21st, 2022 at 3:53pm CST by Luke Adams

Hawks guard Trae Young and head coach Nate McMillan both downplayed an alleged confrontation that occurred earlier this month, but there has been chatter that their relationship has gotten worse since then, according to Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com, who said one league executive referred to the situation in Atlanta as “toxic.”

“When they win, everybody’s happy for a minute,” one source told Bulpett. “But when they lose, it gets messy. Instead of trying to get it figured out, there’s a lot of blame being thrown around.”

According to Bulpett, one opposing coach said that Young and McMillan don’t like each other, and suggested that “other players have issues with Trae” as well.

“There were teams that questioned whether he’d ever be this good because of his size when he was coming out,” a front office source said of Young. “So it’s good to have that kind of fight in you. But at some point, you’d hope he’d realize the effect he can have on his team, both positive and negative. Sometimes you have to take a step back and maybe take a hit to make the whole thing work.”

Meanwhile, although John Collins‘ name has once again come up in trade rumors, sources who spoke to Bulpett pointed to the big man’s contract as a potential roadblock as the Hawks seek a trade partner. He’s still owed $78.5MM across three seasons after this one.

“He’s not a bad player. He’s actually a good player,” a source told Bulpett. “The problem is he’s not worth 23-and-a-half million. There are places he could go where he’d really be helping a team and really be happy, but right now that contract is in the way. We’ll see if anyone’s going to bite or if Atlanta’s going to make it worth another team’s while.”

Here’s more from around the Southeast:

Asked on Tuesday if there’s a chance Delon Wright will return to action for the Wizards on Thursday, head coach Wes Unseld Jr. responded, “I hope so,” tweets Josh Robbins of The Athletic. Wright has been on the shelf for nearly two months, but finally seems on the verge of being reactivated.
In a story for The Athletic, Robbins and Jovan Buha explore whether it’s realistic to think the Wizards and Lakers could work out a trade that sends Bradley Beal to Los Angeles for Russell Westbrook and draft picks. Robbins is skeptical, but points out that Beal’s no-trade clause will make it challenging for the Wizards to maximize the guard’s value if he ever wants to be dealt, since he could veto deals to unwanted destinations.
With several Heat regulars unavailable, Victor Oladipo made his first start of the year and played a season-high 34 minutes in Tuesday’s loss to Chicago. As Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel relays, head coach Erik Spoelstra made it clear after the game that he doesn’t intend to lean that heavily on Oladipo often as he continues to work his way back to 100%. “I wouldn’t have done this with Vic if it wasn’t clearly communicated with him and with the training staff and if we didn’t have two days after the last game, two days before the next game,” Spoelstra said.

Southeast Notes: Wright, Hachimura, Collins, Oladipo

December 16th, 2022 at 8:38am CST by Luke Adams

The Wizards may get some reinforcements in their backcourt within the next week. As Josh Robbins of The Athletic (Twitter link) relays, head coach Wes Unseld Jr. said on Wednesday that he’s “hopeful” Delon Wright will be able to return at some point during the team’s current six-game road trip, which runs through December 23.

Sidelined since October 25 due to a hamstring strain, Wright is trending in the right direction, according to Unseld. The veteran guard is perhaps Washington’s strongest perimeter defender, so the hope is that he can help improve a unit that has ranked 28th in the NBA in defensive rating during the club’s current eight-game losing streak.

Meanwhile, injured Wizards forward Rui Hachimura is also making progress, though he doesn’t appear quite as close to returning to action. According to Robbins (Twitter link), Unseld said on Wednesday that Hachimura has progressed to doing one-on-one contact work as he makes his way back from a bone bruise in his ankle. The former lottery pick last played on November 18.

Here’s more from around the Southeast:

Although the Wizards entered the season hoping to be a playoff team, Robbins could envision them becoming sellers at the trade deadline if things continue to go south, he writes in his latest mailbag for The Athletic. As Robbins observes, the team will have to go 30-23 the rest of the way to even finish at .500, so the front office should “at least reconsider” its original plan.
John Collins‘ name continues to pop up in trade rumors, but it sounds like the Hawks big man will remain on the shelf for the foreseeable future. Speaking on Wednesday to reporters, including Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter link), head coach Nate McMillan said Collins hasn’t done much running or cutting and has mostly been limited to spot shooting as he recovers from a left ankle sprain.
The Heat‘s current road trip, which opened with stops in Indiana, Oklahoma City, and Houston, has been something of a “nostalgia tour” for guard Victor Oladipo, who previously played in all three of those cities, writes Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. Reflecting on the twists and turns his career has taken so far, Oladipo said he’s focused on forging a new path in Miami. “My journey, my purpose is not done,” he said.

Scotto’s Latest: Bulls, Mavs, Suns, Muscala, Wright

December 6th, 2022 at 11:41am CST by Luke Adams

A number of NBA executives who have spoken to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype are “closely monitoring” the Bulls, Scotto told co-host Yossi Gozlan in the latest episode of the HoopsHype podcast. With Chicago off to an underwhelming 9-14 start and with no indication of when Lonzo Ball might be back on the court, teams are curious to see whether the club might become a seller.

There’s “a lot” of league-wide interest in DeMar DeRozan, according to Scotto, who says Nikola Vucevic is another name that figures to pop up in trade rumors over the next couple months. Scotto adds that some teams would have interest in Zach LaVine too, but the Bulls seem unlikely to move him midway through the first season of a five-year, maximum-salary contract.

Having signed with the Bulls over the summer, Goran Dragic and Andre Drummond will become trade-eligible on December 15, and Scotto suggests they could be worth keeping an eye on if Chicago does decide to sell, since both players are low-cost veterans who could slide into rotation roles on playoff teams.

Here are a few more highlights from the podcast:

With JaVale McGee out of the rotation, it’s possible the Mavericks could peruse the trade market in search of another center. According to Scotto, if Dallas does look into that possibility, any trade target would have to be an upgrade defensively and a contrast to Christian Wood.
Scotto has heard from some executives that the Suns ideally don’t want to add any extra salary to their books in a Jae Crowder trade. Crowder is on an expiring $10.2MM deal.
Thunder big man Mike Muscala drew interest from about 10 teams as a free agent this past offseason, so if Oklahoma City is willing to make him available, he’d likely be a popular low-cost target, says Scotto. Due to the terms of his contract, Muscala has the ability to veto any trade that involves him.
The Wizards hope to get Delon Wright within the next two weeks, per Scotto. A weekend report suggested the veteran guard could even be back in action this week.

Wizards Notes: Beal, Wright, Hachimura, Gafford

December 5th, 2022 at 9:20am CST by Arthur Hill

The Wizards are at a critical point in their season and they may have to navigate it without Bradley Beal, writes Josh Robbins of The Athletic. Sunday’s loss to the Lakers was Washington’s sixth in its last seven games, and a challenging schedule looms for the rest of the month. There is concern about the status of Beal, who suffered a strained hamstring while diving for a ball midway through the first quarter and didn’t return to the game. He will undergo testing today to determine the extent of the injury.

“First of all, hopefully, he doesn’t have to miss that many games,” Corey Kispert said. “I’m praying for Brad, absolutely. He’s the heart and soul of our team. We need him on the floor. But whether it’s a good thing or not, we’ve experienced playing without Brad last year. A lot of guys on this team did that. We know exactly what to do, just kind of a mindset change and a little bit of a style change. But we need (Beal) on the floor. We want him out there.”

Beal, a three-time All-Star, is scoring more efficiently this season, shooting a career-best 52.2% from the field and 35.2% from three-point range. Robbins notes that the Wizards were able to go 4-2 when Beal was in the health and safety protocols earlier this season, with Kyle Kuzma taking on more of a facilitating role.

There’s more from Washington:

Free agent addition Delon Wright, who has been sidelined since suffering a Grade 2 hamstring strain in the fourth game of the season, may be able to return this week, Robbins adds. Wizards coach Wes Unseld Jr. told reporters that Rui Hachimura is still “day to day” after missing eight games with a bone bruise in his right ankle.
Two-way guard Devon Dotson and lottery pick Johnny Davis both entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols while in the G League, Robbins tweets.
Daniel Gafford relied on support from his wife and his friends while seeing limited playing time in November, per Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington. Gafford scored a season-high 20 points Sunday after posting season-best marks with 12 rebounds and six blocks in Friday’s game. “Take a deep breath, it’s going to be okay,” Gafford said. “You might have a bad night this night, but you can come back the next night and you can prove that that wasn’t you. Just be better than the day before. In our bathroom, me and my wife, we have sticky notes of motivational things that we’ve said to each other over the times. Every morning I look at that and it helps me out a lot. I actually take the time out to look at that. So, really just finding ways to clear out my mental.”

Delon Wright Expected To Miss At Least Three More Weeks

November 22nd, 2022 at 11:41am CST by Luke Adams

Wizards guard Delon Wright, who has been on the shelf since October 25 due to a Grade 2 right hamstring strain, was reevaluated this week and has been cleared to begin individual on-court basketball activities, the team announced (via Twitter).

Although it sounds like Wright is making progress toward a return, he still has a little ways to go. According to the Wizards, it will be three weeks until Wright is reevaluated again, so he’ll be sidelined until at least mid-December.

When Wright was originally diagnosed with the injury, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the veteran guard was expected to miss about six-to-eight weeks. That was nearly four weeks ago, so Wright still has a chance to return within that estimated timeline.

After winning three of the four games Wright played, the Wizards went into a mini-tailspin without arguably their top perimeter defender, losing five of their next six. They’ve since righted the ship, winning six of their last seven contests and moving into a tie for fifth place in the East at 10-7.

With Wright unavailable, two-way player Jordan Goodwin has entered the rotation and has performed admirably, averaging 6.4 PPG, 3.9 RPG, and 2.7 APG on .553/.563/.500 shooting in 10 appearances (19.5 MPG).

Wizards Notes: Beal, Wright, Gill, Avdija

November 1st, 2022 at 10:02pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Delon Wright‘s hamstring injury has forced Bradley Beal to initiate the Wizards’ offense more often, Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington notes. There isn’t another traditional point guard on the roster outside of starter Monte Morris.

In the last two games, Beal only scored a combined 32 points. He also made a season-high four turnovers against Philadelphia on Monday.

“I’m going to try to do something that reads the flow of the game. It’s been a challenge, but at the same time, it’s where we are,” Beal said. “They’re depending on me. I’ve got to do a better job of taking care of the ball and making crisper and smarter decisions.”

We have more on the Wizards:

While Wright’s absence affects the entire rotation, The Athletic’s Josh Robbins notes that the starting five was outplayed by its counterparts in losses to Indiana and Boston over the weekend.
Anthony Gill was inserted into the lineup against the Sixers and his off-the-ball movement had a positive impact, according to Ava Wallace of the Washington Post. But outside of Kristaps Porzingis‘ 32 points, the Wizards continued to struggle at both ends while losing their third straight. Gill felt the team’s offensive issues spilled over to the defensive end. “We have a bunch of guys on our team who are capable of scoring 20 points a night, so when they aren’t scoring 20 points, it affects the defense,” Gill said. “They’re scorers, so when they’re not scoring, they’re not in the rhythm of the game.”
Deni Avdija was the odd man out with Gill taking his spot in the lineup. Avdija went scoreless in 17 minutes off the bench but the Wizards are hopeful he’ll feel more comfortable with an expanded offensive role in the second unit, according to Hughes. “I trust the coaching staff and I trust myself to figure it out. I’ll be fine,” Avdija said.

Southeast Notes: Wright, Carter, Hampton, Bogdanovic, Clifford

October 30th, 2022 at 3:20pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

With veteran guard Delon Wright sidelined indefinitely due to a strained right hamstring, the Wizards missed his perimeter defense in a 127-117 loss to the Pacers Friday night, per Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington.

Though the 6’5″ combo guard is averaging a modest 6.5 PPG, 3.3 APG and 2.5 RPG in his four games with Washington, he gives the team size as a reserve guard and wing toughness that it had lacked last season, Hughes opines.

“It’s tough,” shooting guard Bradley Beal said of life without Wright. “You could see it tonight because he’s a pest on defense, he gets us those deflections. He’s just everywhere. He’s a pest. He gets in on the bigs, he gets those reach-ins, a lot of those things. He gets into the ball. Really good defender.”

The 30-year-old out of Utah signed a two-year, $16MM deal with Washington during the offseason. He suffered a grade two hamstring strain, and is expected to be unavailable for six-to-eight weeks. Hughes thinks that Beal, Monte Morris, and Will Barton will need to step up on the defensive side of the ball in the absence of Wright, as will small forward Deni Avdija, who has emerged as a versatile defender thus far, capable of defending smaller backcourt players.

There’s more out of the Southeast Division:

Magic starting center Wendell Carter Jr. has made a representation change. Khobi Price of The Orlando Sentinel tweets that the 6’10” big man has inked a new deal with LIFT Sports Management. Meanwhile, Price reports in a separate piece that Carter’s Orlando teammate R.J. Hampton is departing LIFT after the Magic opted not to exercise its team option on his fourth season.
Hawks guard Bogdan Bogdanovic is gradually moving through his recovery process from a May knee surgery. Atlanta is excited about the progress Bogdanovic has managed to make through his rehabilitation thus far, writes Lauren Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I’m back to the court activities, and I feel good, just a little out of basketball shape,” Bogdanovic told Williams. “You know, I need a rhythm back, you know, change of direction, explosive moves. But now I’m focusing on that.” Retired Hawks sharpshooter Kyle Korver, now the team’s director of player affairs and development, has made himself available to Bogdanovic so that the current Atlanta wing can tweak the mechanics of his shooting form post-surgery. “He helped me a lot, you know, especially through the challenging times, where I couldn’t, like, figure it out, how to make that transition, from use, to what I’m doing in the weightlifting room with the strength coaches, and everybody else, (physical therapy), how to translate it on the court,” Bogdanovic said.
Hornets head coach Steve Clifford can be credited at least in part with the club’s solid 3-3 start to the 2022/23 season, writes Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer. “I think Steve is one of the most underrated coaches in the league,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said. “His defensive schemes are really sharp. He always does some interesting things against us to make us think, to make us work for baskets. His teams tend to execute really well on the offensive side.” Clifford’s players appreciate the organization he is bringing to bear for the club during his second go-around running the show. “He communicates very well on what he wants from us, and if we don’t do that he holds us accountable,” Kelly Oubre said. “That’s everything in this league because obviously we have a young team, but at the end of the day we are trying to grow and learn and be the best in our profession.”

Wizards’ Delon Wright Out Indefinitely With Strained Hamstring

October 27th, 2022 at 12:26pm CST by Rory Maher

Wizards guard Delon Wright has been diagnosed with a grade two right hamstring strain and is out indefinitely, the team announced. He will be reevaluated in approximately three weeks.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link), Wright is expected to miss six-to-eight weeks with the injury, which was sustained during the fourth quarter of Tuesday’s victory over Detroit.

As Josh Robbins of The Athletic notes (via Twitter), losing Wright is a tough blow for the Wizards, as he’s been the team’s “most disruptive, most reliable defender” during a 3-1 start. Though four games (22.8 MPG), Wright is averaging 6.5 points, 2.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists along with an eye-popping 2.8 steals and 1.0 block per night.

Aside from re-signing Bradley Beal, Wright was Washington’s primary free agent addition over the summer, inking a two-year, $16MM contract. The 30-year-old combo guard spent last season with the Hawks, but has also played for the Raptors, Grizzlies, Mavericks, Pistons and Kings since being drafted 20th overall in 2015.

On a positive note, second-year wing Corey Kispert (left ankle sprain) is “really close” to making his season debut after being a full participant in Thusday’s practice, head coach Wes Unseld Jr. told reporters (Twitter link via Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington). Kispert won’t be available for Friday’s game, but Sunday might be a possibility, per Hughes.

Kispert suffered the injury on October 2 during the team’s preseason trip to Japan and the Wizards said he’d miss four-to-six weeks. Sunday would be exactly four weeks, so it sounds like he’s progressing nicely.

Injury Notes: Westbrook, Kawhi, D. Wright, Thompson

October 26th, 2022 at 8:07am CST by Luke Adams

After struggling during the Lakers‘ 0-3 start, point guard Russell Westbrook is unlikely to play in the team’s fourth game of the season on Wednesday in Denver. As Jovan Buha of The Athletic writes, Westbrook has been listed as doubtful to play vs. the Nuggets due to a hamstring injury, which he sustained during the team’s preseason finale on October 14.

The injury didn’t stop Westbrook from suiting up for the last three games, but if it’s lingering at all, it makes sense for the Lakers to hold him out for a game or two, not only to ensure he gets 100% healthy but also to give him a respite from the criticism he has faced in the early part of the 2022/23 season.

Here are a few more health-related notes from around the NBA:

Clippers star Kawhi Leonard experienced some stiffness in his surgically repaired right knee and was held out of the team’s loss to Oklahoma City on Tuesday, according to Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN, who adds that Leonard has also been ruled out for the rematch between the two teams on Thursday. Head coach Tyronn Lue didn’t classify it as a setback for Leonard. “We want to be cautious, make sure we’re doing the right thing by him, even though he wanted to play,” Lue said. We just thought it wasn’t smart. He can be mad at us if he wants to but just not smart right now.”
Wizards guard Delon Wright left Tuesday’s game with what head coach Wes Unseld Jr. referred to as hamstring tightness, tweets Josh Robbins of The Athletic. Unseld wasn’t sure after the game about the severity of the injury or if it would require Wright to miss any additional time.
After tearing his ACL in 2019 and his Achilles in 2020, Warriors star Klay Thompson entered this season coming off a healthy summer, but he has still required a ramp-up process and a minutes restriction in the early going as he improves his conditioning, writes Kendra Andrews of ESPN. “I’m such a perfectionist, I want to be great right now,” Thompson said. “But I got to realize, man, it’s a long season. I’d rather peak come playoff time rather than early November or into January.”