Northwest Notes: Sandfort, Harkless, Nuggets, Wallace, Avdija
Payton Sandfort, signed on Monday by the Thunder on a two-way contract, will “fit in well,” coach Mark Daigneault told Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman (Twitter link) and other media members.
“He’s a great professional and he’s a really good guy,” Daigneault said. “He hasn’t played a lot this year. He’s been injured, but he’s a guy our scouts really liked coming out of college. He can really shoot the ball with some size, and he’s a great kid. Just a really, really good dude.”
Sandfort, who has been playing for the G League’s Oklahoma City Blue, signed a two-year contract, Spotrac contributor Keith Smith tweets.
Here’s more from the Northwest Division:
- Another two-way player, the Jazz‘s Elijah Harkless, played rugged defense on Denver star Nikola Jokic on Monday. Jokic only scored two points with Harkless guarding him. Afterward, coach Will Hardy paid Harkless a strong compliment. “I think Elijah is our best defender,” Hardy said, per Kevin Reynolds of the Salt Lake City Tribune. “It’s about trying to build a sense of fatigue as the game goes on, because every catch is hard to get. That’s Elijah’s identity. That’s who he is. That’s who we need him to be. And I think when Elijah plays like that, it raises the level of the group.”
- Prior to defeating the Jazz, the Nuggets were defeated by Oklahoma City and Minnesota. The time that Jokic was off the floor was key, as the Nuggets were outscored in both games when the big man rested. Coach David Adelman hinted at rotation changes, Bennett Durando of the Denver Post reports. “It’s just something that we have to learn from,” Adelman said. “I have to find a unit that will actually do it, compete at a higher level. Because to me, that was the game. Then I had to extend minutes, and I’m playing guys into the ground. I can’t do that. Especially with the way the schedule has been very dense.”
- Taking advantage of extended playing time due to injuries, Thunder guard Cason Wallace averaged 14.6 points, 4.8 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 2.1 steals in 30.9 minutes per game last month. Wallace is extension-eligible this summer and his recent play enhanced his résumé. “You never know when a guy’s gonna pop,” Daigneault told Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman, “but he’s had a week and a half now of offense that’s been really, really good and intriguing.”
- Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija, who hasn’t played since departing in the opening minute on Feb. 22 due to a lower back injury, has been upgraded to questionable for the team’s game against Memphis on Wednesday, Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report tweets.
Keyonte George Could Miss Time With Left Ankle Sprain
Jazz guard Keyonte George suffered a left ankle sprain late in the fourth quarter of Friday’s loss to Brooklyn, per Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter links).
While X-rays on George’s ankle came back negative, he had a noticeable limp in the locker room and was being attended to by training staff, according to Larsen, who thinks the 22-year-old could miss time due to the injury.
George is having a breakout third season for Utah, averaging 24.1 points, 6.6 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 1.1 steals on .454/.378/.899 shooting through 46 games (34.4 minutes per contest). He finished Friday’s game with 26 points (on 9-of-11 shooting), seven assists and three rebounds in 32 minutes.
If George is forced to miss some games, second-year guard Isaiah Collier and rookie Walter Clayton are among the candidates to receive more playing time for the Jazz, who fell to 15-34 following Friday’s loss.
Elijah Harkless, who is on a two-way contract with Utah, is currently sidelined with a hamstring injury. He told Larsen on Friday that he expects to be ready to return in a couple weeks (Twitter link). Harkless was named the G League’s Player of the Month for December.
Northwest Notes: Topic, Blazers, Nnaji, Wolves, Harkless
Misko Raznatovic, the agent for Thunder guard Nikola Topic, shared an update on his client, telling the Serbian-based outlet Arena Sport TV that Topic has successfully completed chemotherapy to treat his testicular cancer, per Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman.
“The chemotherapy was successfully completed, and he is now returning to the training process, although he was active during the therapy as well,” Raznatovic said. “It’s hard to pinpoint a timeline, but I sincerely hope he gets minutes this year, not only in the G League but on the NBA floor as well, if everything goes the way it is right now.”
Word broke in October that Topic, a 2024 lottery pick who missed his entire rookie season due to an ACL injury, had been diagnosed with testicular cancer and was undergoing treatment. As Raznatovic acknowledges, there’s still no timeline for the 20-year-old to make his NBA debut, but this is a major positive development.
We have more from around the Northwest:
- The Trail Blazers intend to present a proposal to the Oregon state legislature next month to have all state income taxes from players and team employees (for both the Blazers and visiting teams) redirected from Oregon’s general fund to a $600MM renovation project for the Moda Center, reports Bill Oram of The Oregonian (subscription required). One source who spoke to Oram about the proposal suggested it would help “guarantee the Blazers’ future” in Portland.
- Nuggets forward/center Zeke Nnaji hasn’t developed like the team hoped since signing a four-year, $32MM contract extension in October 2023, but with centers Nikola Jokic and Jonas Valanciunas sidelined, Nnaji has been giving the team solid minutes at the five, writes Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. Nnaji, who has five steals and six blocked shots in his past three games, is playing “amazing” defense, according to teammate Jamal Murray — head coach David Adelman didn’t disagree. “I don’t remember him moving this well,” Adelman said after Wednesday’s win over Boston. “…He guarded everybody in this game, because we were switching. Just cool to see him have some success. Obviously, he hasn’t been in the rotation.”
- The streaking Timberwolves have won four games in a row and now hold a top-four spot in the Western Conference. In a pair of stories for The Athletic, Jon Krawczynski examines the impact of center Rudy Gobert, writing that the big man is playing as well as he ever played in Minnesota, and notes that Anthony Edwards reached the 10,000-point mark on Thursday. Edwards was the third-youngest player in NBA history to reach that plateau, behind only LeBron James and Kevin Durant.
- Two-way player Elijah Harkless has appeared in just seven games for the Jazz so far this season and hasn’t seen any NBA action since November 18, but he has been thriving in the G League. Harkless was named the NBAGL’s Player of the Month for December after he averaged 28.3 points and 5.2 assists per game, per the league (Twitter link).
2024/25 All-NBA G League Teams Announced
In a series of tweets, the NBA has announced the three All-NBA G League teams for the 2024/25 season. Here’s the full list of honorees:
First Team
- JD Davison, Maine Celtics ^
- Oscar Tshiebwe, Salt Lake City Stars (Jazz‘s affiliate) *
- Mac McClung, Osceola Magic *
- Jaylen Nowell, Capital City Go-Go (Wizards‘ affiliate)
- Malachi Flynn, Austin Spurs
Second Team
- Mason Jones, Stockton Kings *
- Elijah Harkless, Salt Lake City Stars *
- Bryce McGowens, Rip City Remix (Trail Blazers‘ affiliate) *
- Moses Brown, Westchester Knicks
- Drew Timme, Long Island Nets ^
Third Team
- Chuma Okeke, Westchester Knicks ~
- T.J. Warren, Westchester Knicks
- Trey Alexander, Grand Rapids Gold (Nuggets‘ affiliate) *
- Josh Christopher, Sioux Falls Skyforce (Heat‘s affiliate) *
- Isaac Jones, Stockton Kings ^
* Denotes two-way contract
^ Denotes standard contract
~ On a standard contract with the Cavaliers
While each player selected has some level of NBA experience, four of them — Flynn, Nowell, Brown and Warren — are currently free agents. Of that group, only Warren didn’t appear in an NBA regular season game during the ’24/25 campaign.
Davison, Tshiebwe and Nowell finished first, second and third in voting (in that order) for this season’s G League Most Valuable Player award, so it’s no surprise that they made the First Team. McClung, who was the league’s 2023/24 MVP, helped Osceola make the NBAGL Finals this spring, with the final spot going to former Pistons guard Flynn, who signed a 10-day contract with Charlotte last month.
Mason Jones recently helped Stockton win its first G League title, earning Finals MVP in the process. He’s joined on the Second Team by NBAGL Most Improved Player Harkless, McGowens, Brown, and Timme.
Former first-round pick Okeke signed a pair of 10-day contracts with Philadelphia before signing with Cleveland ahead of the playoffs. NBA veteran Warren, G League Rookie of the Year Alexander, Heat two-way guard Christopher, and Kings big man Jones round out the Third Team.
Davison and Isaac Jones were promoted from two-way deals to standard contracts at the end of the season. Timme was an NBA free agent before Brooklyn gave him a two-year standard contract in March due to his strong play in the NBAGL.
Jazz’s Elijah Harkless Named NBAGL Most Improved Player
Guard Elijah Harkless, who is on a two-way contract with the Jazz, has been named the NBA G League’s Most Improved Player for the 2024/25 season, the NBA announced today (via Twitter).
Harkless earned the award for his time with the San Diego Clippers and Salt Lake City Stars. He’s the first player from the Stars to win NBAGL MIP, according to the press release.
After averaging 11.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.0 steal in 20 regular season games (22.7 MPG) for San Diego in 2023/24, the 25-year-old improved his counting stats across the board in ’24/25, averaging 26.9 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 4.4 APG and 1.3 SPG in 19 regular season appearances, 17 of which came for Salt Lake City (31.4 MPG). He has posted a .447/.419/.745 shooting line during the G League’s regular season.
Harkless, who went undrafted out of UNLV in 2023, was named to the NBAGL’s Up Next event — essentially the G League’s All-Star game — earlier this season. He also had a stint in the Canadian Elite Basketball League with the Saskatchewan Rattlers this past spring.
Known for his defense, Harkless has played 10 games for Utah in what is technically his rookie NBA season. The combo guard has averaged 3.2 PPG, 2.1 RPG and 1.0 SPG in 13.8 MPG during those appearances.
Drew Timme and Tyson Etienne of the Nets finished second and third in voting for the award, respectively. Both players have been standouts for Brooklyn’s affiliate in Long Island.
NBA G League Announces Participants For 2025 Up Next Event
The NBA G League announced today that 27 players have been selected to participate in the 2025 Up Next event at the NBA’s All-Star weekend next month in San Francisco.
The event – which highlights standout players at the G League level and essentially serves as the NBAGL All-Star Game – features a tournament-style format with four teams made up of seven players apiece. Those clubs face one another in semifinals (first team to 30 points), with the winners meeting in the final. All three games will be played on the afternoon of Sunday, February 16, ahead of the NBA’s All-Star Game.
Ten players for the next Up Next pool are selected by fan votes, while the other 18 are selected by the league. Here are the players who have been named as participants for the 2025 event:
Fan voting
Note: Players are listed in order of votes received. Players marked with an asterisk (*) are on two-way contracts with an NBA team.
- Yuki Kawamura (Memphis Hustle) *
- Justin Champagnie (Capital City Go-Go) *
- Jahlil Okafor (Indiana Mad Ants)
- Adama Sanogo (Windy City Bulls) *
- Skal Labissiere (Stockton Kings)
- Kevon Harris (College Park Skyhawks)
- Maozinha Pereira (Memphis Hustle)
- Trevelin Queen (Osceola Magic) *
- Armando Bacot (Memphis Hustle)
- Keisei Tominaga (Indiana Mad Ants)
G League selections
Note: Players are listed in alphabetical order. Players marked with an asterisk (*) are on two-way contracts with an NBA team.
- Moses Brown (Westchester Knicks)
- Josh Christopher (Sioux Falls Skyforce) *
- Jeff Dowtin (Delaware Blue Coats) *
- PJ Hall (Grand Rapids Gold) *
- Elijah Harkless (Salt Lake City Stars) *
- Isaac Jones (Stockton Kings) *
- A.J. Lawson (Raptors 905) *
- Isaiah Miller (Austin Spurs)
- Jaylen Nowell (Capital City Go-Go)
- Dink Pate (Mexico City Capitanes)
- Daeqwon Plowden (College Park Skyhawks) *
- Quinten Post (Santa Cruz Warriors) *
- Lester Quinones (Birmingham Squadron)
- DJ Steward (Memphis Hustle)
- TyTy Washington Jr. (Valley Suns) *
- Alondes Williams (Sioux Falls Skyforce)
- Jahmir Young (Grand Rapids Gold)
The G League announced 27 names today, leaving the pool one player shy of the 28 required for four seven-player teams. However, the NBAGL’s announcement says two more participants will be named at a later date to round out the player pool.
It’s unclear if there’s a math error happening here or if Pate will need to be replaced since he’s also participating in the Rising Stars event. Further confusing matters is the fact that Williams’ name shows up in the graphic released by the G League but not in the press release.
However it happens, the Up Next player pool will eventually increase to 28 names, with those players drafted into four teams by a quartet of “influencer” general managers and then coached by G League coaches at All-Star weekend.
Jazz Notes: Juzang, Williams, Harkless, Markkanen
The Jazz‘s matchup with the Heat on Thursday gave them a first-hand look at the sort of player they envision as a model for third-year wing Johnny Juzang, writes Kevin Reynolds of The Salt Lake Tribune.
Head coach Will Hardy referred to Heat forward Duncan Robinson as the “poster boy” for the type of unheralded prospect who earns a spot in the NBA with his reliable three-point shooting and length on defense. Like Robinson, Juzang went undrafted out of college, and Hardy said this week that he spoke to the former UCLA standout when he arrived in Utah about how he could stick in the NBA.
“We had a pretty honest conversation about what I felt like he needed to do to make it,” Hardy said. “He was sort of an all-around scorer in college, had the ball a lot. Johnny has two really great gifts. He can really shoot and he is in really good shape. We felt like him becoming a real threat from the three-point line, and making that the centerpiece, would allow him to stick.”
Juzang played sparingly while on a two-way contract during his first two seasons with the Jazz, appearing in just 38 total contests. But he showed enough to earn a multiyear deal this past offseason that includes a guaranteed $3.1MM salary in 2024/25.
The remaining three seasons on the 23-year-old’s contract are non-guaranteed, so he’ll have to continuing proving to Utah’s front office that he deserves his roster spot. He’s off to a promising start this season, having averaged 7.3 points per game with a .400 3PT% through 32 appearances (17.8 MPG), including 9.2 PPG with a .446 3PT% since the start of December.
Here’s more on the Jazz:
- Juzang missed Saturday’s game in Phoenix due to a fracture in his right hand, but the club doesn’t believe that injury will require a lengthy absence. As Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune relays (via Twitter), the Jazz stated that once the inflammation subsides, they “anticipate he will be able to play with the fracture as pain tolerates.”
- Saturday’s 13-point performance against Phoenix was a promising sign for rookie Cody Williams, who has badly struggled offensively in the first half of the season, Larsen writes for The Tribune (subscription required). Williams’ ball-handling and footwork still need work, but he has shown good touch near the basket out to about 15 feet, Larsen observes. His 13 points on Saturday represented a career high and he was a plus-7 across 22 minutes in a game Utah lost by eight points.
- Elijah Harkless, who signed a two-way contract with Utah at the start of January, made his NBA debut on Saturday vs. the Suns, Larsen notes in the same story. While Harkless has been shooting the ball well this season in the G League, making 40.8% of his three-pointers, he’s best known for his defense. Asked last week by Larsen to introduce his game to Jazz fans, Harkless replied, “I’m competitive. Best on-ball defender on the planet.” He went scoreless with four rebounds in nine minutes on Saturday.
- In case you missed it in our Community Shootaround discussion on Saturday, Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen was among the players labeled by scouts and executives who spoke to Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst of ESPN (Insider link) as one of the season’s disappointments so far. “He’s probably not super motivated because the team is tanking,” one executive said of Markkanen, who signed a long-term extension with Utah in August. “But his numbers and his overall level is down across the board.”
Jazz Notes: Sensabaugh, Markkanen, George, Williams, Harkless
After appearing in just 32 games during his rookie year with the Jazz, Brice Sensabaugh has already nearly matched that total in his second season, earning minutes off the bench in 26 of Utah’s 32 contests so far. Sensabaugh still isn’t playing a major role, but he has been more effective during his time on the court, making 45.0% of his shots from the field and 38.0% of his three-pointers after posting a .390 FG% and .296 3PT% last season.
Speaking to Grant Afseth of RG.org, Sensabaugh admitted that the learning curve has been steep as he continues to adjust to the NBA after thriving in his lone college season at Ohio State.
“The games come fast, and it’s all the best players in the world, so you really have to lock into the details,” Sensabaugh said. “Taking time to watch film with the coaches and preparing ahead of games is important. You play teams multiple times, so you adjust. Doing your work early on defense and being in the right spot helps you avoid playing from behind.”
Sensabaugh added that remaining in Salt Lake City during the 2024 offseason and working closely with the team’s coaching staff has helped him understand what he needs to do to earn minutes and what the Jazz want to see from him going forward.
“They’ve been transparent with what they want from us. We have a bunch of meetings and conversations outside of practice to clarify things,” Sensabaugh said. “Being around the whole summer and getting our real work in Utah has helped a lot, especially for the young guys. We know what the coaches want, and if we keep building together, I think we can be special for sure.”
Here’s more out of Utah:
- Should the Jazz be worried about Lauri Markkanen‘s decline in shooting efficiency or Keyonte George‘s defense? In the view of Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune, the latter is more concerning than the former, since Markkanen is facing more defensive attention than ever and has been forced to take more difficult shots. George, on the other hand, has statistically been the worst defensive player on the league’s worst defensive team — Utah’s league-worst 119.7 defensive rating drops to a team-worst 123.6 during George’s minutes. George has good size for a guard (6’4″, with a wingspan of nearly 6’8″) and should be better defensively, according to Larsen, who says it’s imperative that the 21-year-old improve on that end of the court.
- Cody Williams‘ offensive numbers through his first 19 NBA games (3.5 PPG on .312/.238/.643 shooting) have been brutal, so it was encouraging to see him go off for a season-high 36 points on 13-of-21 shooting for the Salt Lake City Stars on Wednesday, writes Larsen. Larsen suggests it might be better for Williams’ development, at least for now, to have him taking 20 shots per game in the G League rather than “being along for the ride” at the NBA level.
- The two-way contract that Elijah Harkless signed with the Jazz on Wednesday is for two years, Hoops Rumors has learned. That means it will cover not just the rest of the 2024/25 season but ’25/26 as well, giving Utah the option of hanging onto Harkless beyond this season without having to negotiate a new deal.
Jazz Sign Elijah Harkless To Two-Way Contract
JANUARY 1: The Jazz have officially signed Harkless and waived Jones, according to a team press release.
DECEMBER 31: The Jazz have agreed to sign guard Elijah Harkless to a two-way contract, according to reports from Ian Begley of SNY.tv and Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter links).
Harkless, who went undrafted out of UNLV in 2023, has spent most of his professional career so far playing for the Clippers’ G League affiliate. He also had a stint in the Canadian Elite Basketball League with the Saskatchewan Rattlers this past spring.
In 18 Tip-Off Tournament and regular season games for the San Diego Clippers in 2024/25, Harkless has averaged 16.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 2.3 steals in 27.1 minutes per contest. The 6’3″ guard has posted a shooting line of .438/.362/.810.
The Jazz don’t currently have an open two-way slot on their roster, so they’ll have to waive one of their current two-way players – Micah Potter, Oscar Tshiebwe, or David Jones – in order to make room for Harkless.
A two-way player is typically limited to no more than 50 NBA appearances in a season, but that figure will be prorated for Harkless, since he’s signing well into the season. Assuming his deal is finalized on Tuesday on Wednesday, his rest-of-season limit will be 30 NBA games.
Jazz Waive David Jones
JANUARY 1: Jones has officially been waived, according to a team press release.
DECEMBER 31: The Jazz will open a two-way spot for Elijah Harkless by waiving David Jones, sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). Scotto reported earlier today that Harkless will be signed out of the G League.
Jones, a 23-year-old small forward, inked a two-way deal with Philadelphia in July after going undrafted out of Memphis. He played for the Sixers’ Summer League teams in both Salt Lake City and Las Vegas, but was waived in late September.
Jones signed with Utah on November 22, but he hasn’t appeared in any NBA games. He spent time with both the Salt Lake City Stars and Mexico City Capitanes in the G League, where he is averaging 15.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.2 steals per game.
He will likely remain in the G League as he awaits another NBA opportunity.
Jones was a first-team All-AAC selection last season at Memphis, where he averaged 21.8 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.2 steals in 32 games. He spent two years at DePaul and one at St. John’s before joining the Tigers.