Derik Queen

Southwest Notes: Sheppard, Edey, Coward, Pelicans

November 25th, 2025 at 1:37pm CST by Luke Adams

Rockets guard Reed Sheppard made just 2-of-9 shots from the floor in his first start of the season on Monday in Phoenix, but he contributed five assists and three steals in his 27 minutes, and Houston was a +6 when he was on the court. It marked the eighth consecutive game in which the Rockets outscored their opponent during Sheppard’s minutes.

While the 21-year-old still has plenty of room to grow, Sheppard has taken a significant step forward so far this season, with his averages – 13.1 PPG and 3.2 APG on .490/.471/.706 shooting – up across the board. As William Guillory of The Athletic writes, Houston’s odds of competing for a title are only increasing as a result of the second-year guard’s improvement.

“The real thing is the opportunity he’s getting, and he’s taking advantage of it,” head coach Ime Udoka said of Sheppard last week. “You’re going to get more of a rhythm with the more minutes and opportunities you get. We needed him to take that step this year, regardless of Fred (VanVleet) being out. He’s really been great. We want him to continue to be confident.”

Sheppard, who started in place of Kevin Durant on Monday, could have another opportunity to be part of the starting five on Wednesday in Golden State, with Durant out for a second straight game for personal reasons.

Here’s more from out of the Southwest:

After missing the first 13 games of the Grizzlies‘ season as he recovered from offseason ankle surgery, center Zach Edey exited his fifth game back early on Monday due to a head injury. If Edey is forced to miss time, it would be a major blow to Memphis, says Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal, given that the club has a +16.5 net rating in Edey’s minutes and a -8.0 mark when he doesn’t play. “Zach is a huge part of what we do, both offensively and defensively,” teammate Cedric Coward said after Monday’s loss to Denver. “Just his presence alone is so meaningful to the team. You guys understand, when he came back, how much better our team got defensively, on the rebounding end, even the offensive end. His roles are gravitating guys inside, so we’re getting easier shots on the outside. It was a huge loss.”
Coward has been one of the NBA’s most productive rookies this fall and is making the Grizzlies look good for trading up to No. 11 in June to draft him, as a Western Conference scout tells Grant Afseth of RG.org. “He only played six Division I games after the partially torn rotator cuff, and that made him one of the biggest unknowns in the draft,” the scout said of Coward. “A lot of scouts weren’t sure how his game would translate against top talent because he’d spent most of his college career at Willamette and Eastern Washington. But Memphis clearly saw something real. … And now he’s outperforming even the optimistic projections. He looks completely comfortable at this level.”
The Pelicans‘ past two games provided a reminder of Zion Williamson‘s impact. After scoring just 98 points on Saturday as Williamson sat out the second game of a back-to-back, New Orleans poured in 143 points on Monday vs. Chicago with Williamson back on the court. While the star forward led the way with 29 points, Monday’s performance was a team effort, with eight players scoring in double figures, writes Les East of NOLA.com. “You couldn’t ask for a better team win when you look at the stat sheet,” said interim head coach James Borrego, who registered his first win since taking over for Willie Green.
Outside of the Hornets, who drafted four players in the top 34 in June, no team has gotten more minutes from its rookies so far this season than the Pelicans, according to Jim Eichenhofer of Pelicans.com. That trend figures to continue going forward, Eichenhofer posits, since Jeremiah Fears, Derik Queen, and Micah Peavy are all part of the rotation now and should see regular playing time with several New Orleans veterans sidelined due to injuries.

Pelicans Notes: Zion, Queen, Dumars, Front Office

November 21st, 2025 at 7:57am CST by Luke Adams

Forward Zion Williamson returned to the court on Wednesday after missing the previous eight games due to a Grade 1 left hamstring strain, and the Pelicans played better than they had in the past week, writes Les East of NOLA.com. However, it wasn’t enough against the Nuggets. New Orleans lost its seventh consecutive game, and now has losing streaks of six and seven games sandwiching its only two victories of the season.

Despite not having registered a win since taking over for Willie Green as the Pelicans’ head coach last Saturday, James Borrego was encouraged by what he saw from Williamson, who was a +14 during his 29 minutes of action. The club was outscored by 21 points in the 19 minutes the former No. 1 overall pick didn’t play.

“He got us off to a really good start,” Borrego said after the loss. “His energy and spirit are really important for the team, the city and the organization. We feel like we have a shot every night when he’s on the floor. We didn’t drop the sword tonight, and that’s his spirit.”

Here’s more out of New Orleans:

Williamson went through a full practice on Thursday and isn’t listed on the injury report for Friday’s game in Dallas, but it’s not yet clear whether he’ll be cleared to play in back-to-backs coming off his latest hamstring injury, tweets William Guillory of The Athletic. The Pelicans will return home after their matchup with the Mavericks to host Atlanta on Saturday.
Rookie big man Derik Queen continues to be one of the bright spots in New Orleans amid the team’s disappointing 2-13 start. He led the club with 30 points and nine rebounds in Wednesday’s loss, shooting 12-of-18 from the floor and chipping in four assists, two steals, and two blocks. Borrego referred to the performance as an “impressive first go” at three-time MVP Nikola Jokic, a player that Queen has “looked up to for many years,” as Rod Walker of NOLA.com relays. “He’s an amazing player,” Jokic said after the game. “You can see some similarities (to me). I don’t want people to see him and tell him he’s something like me. He’s a good enough player to have his own story.”
With the Pelicans’ front office facing scrutiny for some of its offseason decisions, Shamit Dua of In The N.O. shares an interesting new detail on the team’s basketball operations department, writing that Joe Dumars‘ son, 34-year-old Jordan Dumars, has become part of management’s inner circle. The Pelicans never formally announced the hiring of the younger Dumars, but sources who spoke to Dua describe Jordan, his father, and senior VP of basketball operations Troy Weaver as being “attached at the hip.” The team told Dua that Jordan’s title is “basketball operations consultant” and confirmed that he has been participating in basketball strategy meetings and discussions.

Pelicans Notes: Borrego, Green, Dumars, Poole, Coaching Search

November 17th, 2025 at 10:01am CST by Arthur Hill

The Pelicans had a new head coach for Sunday’s game against Golden State, but the result was familiar, writes Les East of NOLA.com. Playing its first game under James Borrego, who was promoted after Willie Green was fired on Saturday, New Orleans suffered its fifth straight loss and fell to 2-11 on the season.

“We’ve got a lot to do,” Borrego said. “The beauty of this game is you come back to work the next day. … It doesn’t get any easier. We’ve got another juggernaut coming in.”

He was referring to Monday’s contest against 13-1 Oklahoma City, which provides another tough challenge for a team badly in need of wins. Borrego made his first lineup change on Sunday, giving a first career start to rookie big man Derik Queen, who finished with nine points, seven rebounds and six assists in 24-plus minutes. The Pelicans got balanced scoring with four players in double figures, but committed 20 turnovers that resulted in 27 Warriors points.

“There were costly, careless turnovers in transition,” Borrego said. “We’ve got to have more poise. There’s a balance between playing fast and frenetic and playing with poise. We’ve got to be opportunistic (in transition).”

There’s more from New Orleans:

There was surprise around the league that Green wasn’t fired sooner considering the Pelicans’ poor start, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. Scotto hears that executive vice president of basketball operations Joe Dumars was supportive of Green early in the season, but conveyed a constant message that the team needed to improve. Sources tell Scotto that offseason addition Jordan Poole was upset after being removed from the starting lineup on October 29, and Green’s coaching style had become “stale” with Trey Murphy III. Scotto adds that some players and other members of the organization believed Green didn’t do enough to hold Zion Williamson accountable.
Dumars held a meeting with his staff this summer where he talked about emphasizing defense, toughness, high basketball IQ and a high motor, then completed a trade an hour later for Poole, who doesn’t fit that description, sources tell Scotto. Poole’s salary of $31.8MM this season and $34MM in 2026/27 was considered “a tough contract to move” by rival executives, Scotto adds. That trade and the deal sending an unprotected 2026 first-rounder to Atlanta in exchange for Queen were pushed by senior vice president of basketball operations Troy Weaver, Dumars’ long-time associate, Scotto reports.
Weaver is also a strong supporter of Kevin Ollie, who has been mentioned as a possibility to eventually take over as head coach, Scotto adds. Scotto identifies Tom Thibodeau, Michael Malone and Taylor Jenkins as free agent coaches who might interest the Pelicans, but speculates that their “price tags could be too rich” for the team. In his latest Substack column (subscription required), Marc Stein of The Stein Line points to Bucks assistant Darvin Ham as a name to watch in the coaching search.

Southwest Notes: Pelicans, Okogie, Kornet, Mavs

November 12th, 2025 at 10:20am CST by Luke Adams

The Pelicans‘ first 10 games of the 2025/26 season have gone about as poorly as they could have, according to William Guillory of The Athletic, with star forward Zion Williamson sidelined due to another hamstring injury and Willie Green‘s hold on his head coaching job looking tenuous.

As Guillory writes, even when the 2-8 Pelicans have been relatively healthy, things haven’t gone according to plan — the trio of Williamson, Trey Murphy III, and Herbert Jones has a net rating of -11.3 during their 75 minutes on the court together.

Lottery picks Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen have been two of the only reasons for optimism in New Orleans so far, Guillory continues. Fears has shown off his ball-handling skills and his ability to make things happen in open-court situations while improving as a decision-maker in pick-and-roll scenarios. Queen, meanwhile, has acted at times as the team’s offensive hub and has scored double-digit points in each of his last four games despite playing a relatively modest role (23.5 MPG).

Guillory also singles out offseason trade addition Saddiq Bey as a bright spot for the Pelicans in the early going, observing that the veteran forward has played better in his return from an ACL tear than Jordan Poole has through three weeks. The duo was acquired from Washington in a summer deal that sent out CJ McCollum and Kelly Olynyk.

Things won’t get any easier for the Pelicans in the near future, per Rod Walker of NOLA.com, who writes that the team is about to begin a five-game home stand against Western Conference opponents that includes matchups with the Lakers, Warriors, Thunder, and Nuggets.

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

In an offseason that saw the Rockets acquire players like Kevin Durant, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Clint Capela, minimum-salary free agent addition Josh Okogie flew under the radar. However, he has emerged as a valuable part of the team’s rotation, writes Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle (subscription required). Okogie has started seven of nine games and Houston is 6-1 in those starts. “He has the same DNA as the guys that we brought in initially and (does) some of what Dillon (Brooks) did, and Dorian, Jae’Sean (Tate), those guys,” head coach Ime Udoka said. “His defensive versatility, offensive rebounding, being able to knock down those shots, it’s what we need at that position. Takes the pressure off Amen (Thompson), and so he’s a guy you can kind of plug in with all these different lineups, and adds more to our depth than just versatility on defense.”
After missing seven games due to ankle and shoulder injuries, Spurs center Luke Kornet had a big game in his return on Monday, scoring 16 points on 6-of-6 shooting and grabbing seven rebounds in a win over Chicago. The Kornet/Victor Wembanyama pairing playfully known as “French Vanilla” came up big down the stretch and now has a +23.0 net rating in three games together, as Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required) details. “It’s good to have him back,” Wembanyama said. “There are not a lot of shot-blockers like him in the league. It’s always good to play with Luke.”
Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron (Substack link) considers what’s next in Dallas following the dismissal of general manager Nico Harrison, suggesting that trades involving Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving could take some time to materialize even if the Mavericks are open to moving them. Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News (subscription required) also examines the challenges facing new co-interim GMs Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi, who take over a team that lacks draft assets and features several underachieving veterans.

Pelicans Notes: H. Jones, Queen, Murphy

November 9th, 2025 at 4:29pm CST by Rory Maher

Former second-round pick Herbert Jones signed a three-year, $68MM extension with the Pelicans over the summer. The 27-year-old forward is now under contract through 2029/30, including a player option for the final season.

In an interview with Grant Afseth of RG.org, Jones says he’s worked to become a more vocal leader for New Orleans, particularly on offense.

“I think most of my growth has come through just being more vocal and telling guys what I see — not necessarily scoring more points, but coming from a defensive-minded guy, telling guys what I see on the offensive end that we might be able to capitalize on,” Jones said. “If the defense is doing something, I can see it and try to give our guys something to beat it.”

Through nine games (30.1 minutes per contest) this season, the 2023/24 All-Defensive member is averaging 10.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.4 steals on .449/.450/.667 shooting. Jones tells Afseth he’s very high on the team’s group of rookies, which is headlined by lottery picks Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen.

“Their competitive nature,” Jones said with a smile. “There’s never a day that goes by that we don’t compete. Whenever we do, those guys show up and don’t back down from anything. You gotta love that.”

Here’s more on the Pelicans:

Speaking of Queen, the ex-Maryland big man has put together an impressive string of games lately, as Rod Walker of NOLA.com writes. During Tuesday’s victory over Charlotte — the Pelicans’ first win of the season — Queen notched 12 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals in the fourth quarter, the first player to record such a stat line in any quarter since the NBA started play-by-play tracking in 1996/97. The 20-year-old also impressed Spurs legend Tim Duncan during Saturday’s loss at San Antonio, Walker adds. During the game, which Duncan attended, the five-time champion sent a text message to Pelicans analyst (and Duncan’s former teammate) Antonio Daniels that read, “I really like that Queen guy.”
After a slow start to the season, Pelicans forward Trey Murphy III had a huge night on Saturday against the Spurs, Walker notes. Murphy, who is in the first season of a four-year, $112MM rookie scale extension, tied a career-high by scoring 41 points (on 15-of-22 shooting) while also contributing nine rebounds and three assists in the defeat. “It was great and we needed it from him,” head coach Willie Green said. “He scored on every level tonight. He got to the free throw line. He got to the paint. He shot the ball well. He rebounded the ball well, something that we’ve been talking about. We can see him starting to implement it.”
In case you missed it, you can find all the latest updates on New Orleans — including Jordan Poole‘s quad injury and Zion Williamson‘s reported trade value (or lack thereof) — on our Pelicans team page.

Southwest Notes: Davis, Morant, W. Green, Edey, Bassey

November 7th, 2025 at 1:53pm CST by Arthur Hill

Anthony Davis‘ early-season injury is bringing back memories of the events that led to last season’s Luka Doncic trade, writes Christian Clark of The Athletic. Like Doncic, Davis reported to training camp weighing more than usual with a plan to work himself back into shape once the season began. The big man weighed in at 268 pounds for the start of camp, about 15 pounds heavier than last season.

Davis was productive in his first four games, although Clark states that some rival scouts and coaches said he didn’t look as mobile as he used to be. He was forced out of an October 29 game with a left calf strain, which is the same injury that hampered Doncic last season and eventually led to his departure. Davis hasn’t played since then and is listed as doubtful for tonight’s NBA Cup contest against Memphis.

The Mavericks were reluctant to make an investment in Doncic because of concerns about his physical condition, and Clark notes that they’ll soon be facing a similar decision with Davis. He’s owed $58.5MM for 2026/27 and has a $62.8MM player option for the following season. He’ll become eligible for a contract extension next summer and can earn up to $218.5MM by picking up his option and extending for three more years. He’s already 32 with a lengthy injury history, so general manager Nico Harrison will have to determine if he’s more deserving of a long-term deal than Doncic was.

There’s more from the Southwest Division:

Last week’s blowout between Ja Morant and the Grizzlies‘ coaching staff hasn’t affected his relationship with teammate Jaren Jackson Jr., sources tell Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints. They remain united in their determination to turn the season around, and general manager Zach Kleiman hasn’t lost confidence in his two stars. Siegel states that there’s no indication that Kleiman has thought about trading Morant, and Morant hasn’t expressed a desire to be dealt. Siegel also hears that Morant received support from several teammates after clashing with coach Tuomas Iisalo over his unorthodox substitution patterns.
An 0-6 start increased speculation about Willie Green’s job security, and the Pelicans‘ front office had “serious internal conversations” about making a change, Siegel adds in the same piece. Controversial decisions may lead to Green’s demise, Siegel states, citing the choice of giving playing time to rookie point guard Jeremiah Fears ahead of Jordan Poole. Sources tell Siegel that the move caused “visible frustration” for Poole and “did not sit right” with some of his teammates. There was also consternation about starting DeAndre Jordan ahead of Yves Missi, who made the All-Rookie team last year, and lead executive Joe Dumars was unhappy early in the season that Derik Queen wasn’t getting enough minutes.
The Grizzlies announced (via Twitter) that they’ve assigned Zach Edey and GG Jackson II to practice with their G League affiliate. Michael Wallace of Grizzlies.com notes that Edey has entered the front end of his projected “return-to-play” window following ankle surgery (Twitter link). Wallace adds that Charles Bassey is no longer with the team after his 10-day hardship contract expired on Wednesday.

Southwest Notes: Harrison, Wembanyama, Fears, Queen, Dumars

October 25th, 2025 at 10:48am CST by Dana Gauruder

The good vibes from the Mavericks‘ draft lottery win in the spring haven’t carried over to the regular season. After consecutive losses to open the year, fans in Dallas are already chanting ‘Fire Nico!’ Those chants, referring to president of basketball operations Nico Harrison, filled American Airlines Center during their 10-point loss to the rebuilding Wizards on Friday, Tim MacMahon of ESPN writes.

“I think they have a right to vent, but there’s a patience [needed],” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. “It’s a different team. It’s a new team. We’re just getting to understand each other. We’re going to keep learning each other. “So I would say be patient, but I understand the frustration. We all want to win. We all want to compete at a high level, but it’s a game of expression, and fans have a right to express themselves. But that doesn’t stop us from coming to work tomorrow and getting better and getting ready for Sunday [against Toronto].”

Kidd recently received a multiyear extension but there have not been any discussions about a contract extension for Harrison, according to MacMahon. Harrison has two years remaining on his deal.

We have more from the Southwest Division:

Victor Wembanyama came close to a triple-double in the Spurs’ overtime win over New Orleans on Friday with 29 points, 11 rebounds and nine blocks, Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News notes. Wembanyama’s big performance came two nights after a 40-point, 15-rebound outburst in the Spurs’ 125-92 season-opening blowout of Dallas. That performance awed this year’s top pick, the Mavs’ Cooper Flagg. “He is incredible. He is a different player,” Flagg said, per Michael C. Wright of ESPN. “You can’t know what it’s like until you’re out there on the court with him. It’s something I’ve never seen before. He was great tonight, but we’ve got to do a better job of trying to just take away some of his looks, and we can’t foul him as much as we did.”
Pelicans first-rounders Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen are already playing meaningful minutes, as Rod Walker of NOLA.com writes. They were on the floor during the final minutes of regulation and most of overtime against the Spurs. Queen played 35 minutes and finished with 15 points, six rebounds and two blocks. Fears played 29 minutes and had 13 points, four rebounds, two steals and an assist. “I saw a lot of poise from both guys at the end of the game, throughout the whole game really,” Pelicans’ coach Willie Green said. “You can tell they want it.”
The Pelicans’ performances this season after major roster renovations will go a long way in determining how Joe Dumars’ tenure as the lead executive plays out, Walker opines. “Before you can get to the playoffs or a certain amount of wins, the first thing you have to get to is, ‘We compete hard every night,’” Dumars said. “If you don’t establish that in your building first, you’re just talking. You’re just giving quotes out at that point. For me, it’s a process of establishing a hard, competitive playing team every night. Then we will get to the wins and losses.”

Injury Notes: Trail Blazers, Knicks, Heat, Pelicans

October 20th, 2025 at 9:00pm CST by Rory Maher

While he’s not sure who will be ready for Wednesday’s season opener against Minnesota, head coach Chauncey Billups said Toumani Camara (knee), Deni Avdija (back), Robert Williams (knee) and Matisse Thybulle (knee) were full participants in Monday’s practice, tweets Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report.

Williams, who has been plagued by knee issues throughout his career, was limited to just 20 games last season. He didn’t play at all during the preseason, nor did Thybulle, who appeared in just 15 games last season due to knee and ankle issues.

Camara, the recipient of a new four-year, $81MM extension, appeared in two preseason games, while Avdija played in all four but exited the finale with upper back stiffness.

We have more injury updates from around the NBA:

The Knicks may be without a pair of key rotation players for their regular season opener vs. Cleveland, writes Zach Braziller of The New York Post. Josh Hart (back spasms) and Mitchell Robinson (load management) didn’t practice Monday, and head coach Mike Brown isn’t sure if either player will be available Wednesday. “Everything we’re doing with him is about managing his workload, which we’ll do the whole year,” Brown replied when asked if there is an injury for Robinson.
Rookie guard Kasparas Jakucionis (right groin strain) and second-year Kel’el Ware (neck spasms) were unable to practice Monday for the Heat, per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald (Twitter link). Ware is being evaluated by a doctor, Chiang adds. Miami’s regular season begins Wednesday in Orlando.
Lottery pick Derik Queen went through a full practice Saturday for the first time since undergoing left wrist surgery in July. While the Pelicans big man thinks he could play in Wednesday’s opener at Memphis, head coach Willie Green was careful to temper expectations after a lengthy layoff, writes Jim Eichenhofer of Pelicans.com. “We’ve got to listen to how his body is responding,” Green said. “This is his first time playing with contact in a few months. We don’t want to rush. If he’s ready, that’s another conversation that we’ll have.” Second-year center Karlo Matkovic was unable to practice Saturday due to an elbow injury the team continues to evaluate, Green added.

Injury Notes: Queen, White, Brown, Raptors, Rockets, More

October 18th, 2025 at 2:08pm CST by Rory Maher

Rookie big man Derik Queen has been medically cleared to participate in full basketball activities, the Pelicans announced today (via Twitter).

Head coach Willie Green said Queen was a full participant in Saturday’s practice, tweets Will Guillory of The Athletic. While the team wants to get Queen up to speed, Green said New Orleans will be careful not to rush the process after a lengthy layoff.

Queen has been rehabilitating from July surgery to address a torn scapholunate ligament in his left wrist, an injury he sustained at Summer League in Las Vegas. He was a limited participant during New Orleans’ training camp due to the injury.

Queen was selected with the 13th overall pick in June after the Pelicans sent Atlanta this year’s No. 23 selection and an unprotected 2026 first-rounder (the most favorable of New Orleans’ and Milwaukee’s picks) for the right to draft the Maryland big man, who was highly productive in his lone season with the Terrapins. In 36 games last season, the 20-year-old forward/center averaged 16.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.1 blocks in 30.4 minutes per contest.

We have several more injury notes from around the NBA:

Bulls guard Coby White, who has been battling a calf strain since August and didn’t play in any preseason games this fall, “looked good” after going through most of the contact portions of Saturday’s practice, according to head coach Billy Donovan (Twitter links K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network). Donovan added that White would go through additional contact work on Monday after taking Sunday off. For his part, White said he was encouraged by today’s session, though he cautioned he’s still working on regaining his conditioning and rhythm. “We’ll see. It’s in the works,” White said of potentially playing in Chicago’s season opener, per Johnson.
Celtics star Jaylen Brown sustained a left hamstring injury in Wednesday’s preseason finale. As Jay King of The Athletic writes, head coach Joe Mazzulla didn’t say whether Brown would be active for next Wednesday’s season opener, but the injury doesn’t sound serious — Brown is considered day-to-day, per Mazzulla.
Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic expressed optimism that lottery pick Collin Murray-Boyles could be ready for Wednesday’s season opener in Atlanta after the former South Carolina forward sustained an arm injury last week, tweets Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca. According to Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter links), Murray-Boyles is day-to-day with a right forearm strain.
Although Raptors center Jakob Poeltl missed time during preseason with lower back stiffness and exited Friday’s preseason finale with the same injury, Rajakovic clarified after the game that the Austrian big man was pulled for precautionary reasons (Twitter links via Lewenberg). Poeltl is under contract through 2029/30 after signing a lucrative long-term extension in July.
Forward Jae’Sean Tate, who underwent offseason ankle surgery, went through contract drills in Saturday’s practice, per Rockets head coach Ime Udoka (Twitter link via Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle). The team remains optimistic that Tate will be available for Houston’s season opener, but Dorian Finney-Smith probably won’t be, according to Udoka. Finney-Smith, a free agent addition, is recovering from June ankle surgery.
Former Alabama forward Grant Nelson was originally expected to sign an Exhibit 10 deal with the Nets shortly after Summer League in July, but the signing was delayed until a few days ago due to an otherwise unspecified “stress reaction from overworking,” he told Brian Lewis of The New York Post. “It was like a small, little minor injury that held me out of training camp. And then I feel like I did everything I could. I caught the injury really early, so I wasn’t out long. But it worked out perfect. So now I’m back healthy, feeling 100 percent.”
Backup Lakers center Jaxson Hayes exited Friday’s preseason finale with a right wrist contusion, the team announced (Twitter link via Dan Woike of The Athletic). Head coach JJ Redick said after the game that X-Rays on the wrist were negative, with another update on Hayes expected to come on Sunday, as veteran NBA report Mark Medina relays (via Twitter).
Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija experienced upper back stiffness on Thursday in Utah, causing him to exit Portland’s preseason finale, per the team (Twitter link). It’s unclear if Avdija will miss additional time as a result of the injury.

Pelicans Notes: Peavy, Camp Vibe, Queen, Poole, Barnes

September 27th, 2025 at 3:54pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pelicans have a pair of lottery picks in training camp but don’t sleep on their second-rounder. Rookie wing Micah Peavy has made a strong impression on head coach Willie Green during the first week of camp, team website reporter Jim Eichenhofer writes.

“He may be flying under the radar (in terms of media and fan interest), but not in practices,” Green said. “He’s standing out big-time. He’s one of our guys who is doing really well.”

Peavy could help at both ends of the floor. He averaged 17.2 points and 2.3 steals per game for Georgetown last season.

“He fits sort of our core characteristics of how we want to play,” Green said. “Number one, he’s a high-character young man. On the floor, it starts with him being competitive. He brings toughness, he’s a good defender, he’s smart. He makes the right plays offensively, doesn’t hurt you at all.”

Here’s more on the Pelicans:

The team began training camp on Wednesday and there were plenty of positive vibes to go around. “It’s refreshing,” Green said, per Rod Walker of NOLA.com. “We all understand that last season was not a season we expected to have. Now we are turning the page. That’s the biggest thing I saw from this group (Wednesday).” Newcomer Jordan Poole certainly appreciated the upbeat atmosphere. “A lot guys at media day (Tuesday) mentioned how good of a group this is and how good the energy is and how well we get along with each other,” Poole said. “The vibes are good. I think we are just ready to get back on the court. We’re a competitive team, and guys want to get going early and want to find a way to expedite our learning curve.”
One of the lottery picks, Derik Queen, is recovering from left wrist surgery and has been a limited participant. “He’s stepping into some of our drills,” Green said, per Eichenhofer. “He can do some of that. But we won’t rush him. When he’s ready, we’ll get the heads-up… and he’ll be able to step in and have more contact.”
After starting out in a winning organization with the Warriors, Poole went through a whole lot of losing with the Wizards during the last two seasons. He’s looking forward to being on a team with a greater chance to turn things around this season. “Now I’m able to incorporate what it feels like to be on the tougher end of it when it comes to winning and losing,” Poole told Walker. “The last two years for me were a bit more challenging. We weren’t able to win as much as I’d like. But coming to a situation with a new front office, that is the goal. That is the expectation. Everybody’s on the same page and it’ll be fun to go out there and compete against a really tough Western Conference.”
The Pelicans revamped their front office this offseason but they made a significant in-house promotion this week. Adam Barnes has named assistant GM, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets. He was previously Pelicans director of college scouting and the Birmingham Squadron’s GM, New Orleans’ G League affiliate. This is his seventh season with the organization.

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