Isaiah Whitehead

Atlantic Notes: Wright, Okafor, Whitehead

Nearly a month after dislocating his shoulder injury, Delon Wright will make his return to the Raptors lineup, Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun tweets. Wright last saw action on November 16.

Prior to the injury, Wright had been enjoying a solid season serving as a vital part of a Raptors second-unit that has yielded plenty of credit this season. While his absence was noticeable, third-string guard Fred VanVleet filled in admirably as the primary backup.

Wright, who had averaged 7.6 points and 2.6 assists in just over 20 minutes per game this season, is expected to be on somewhat of a minute restriction, Josh Lewenberg of TSN tweets.

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

  • Tonight is the night that recent Nets acquisitions Jahlil Okafor and Nik Stauskas make their debut, Michael Grange of Sportsnet tweets. The pair, he adds, are expected to get a “healthy dose of playing time” in their first Brooklyn appearance.
  • The Celtics will be without Marcus Morris for at least a week. Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe tweets that the forward who has missed four of the past five games with a lingering knee injury isn’t expected to be back until, perhaps, December 23 or Christmas Day.
  • Second-year Nets guard Isaiah Whitehead has changed his representation, Liz Mullen of the Sports Business Journal tweets. The point guard and former Andy Miller client will now be represented by Sam Permut of Roc Nation.
  • The Knicks have thrived without Carmelo Anthony on board but veteran guard Courtney Lee doesn’t think that his absence is why the team is winning. “If Melo was here, we would’ve made that adjustment with him,” he told Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. “So you can’t just pinpoint it at him and say, ‘Well he left and we made these adjustments.’ The style of play was going to be different from last year regardless.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 12/11/17

Here are Monday’s G League assignments and recalls from across the NBA:

  • The Nets assigned guard Isaiah Whitehead to their Long Island affiliate, according to the G League team’s Twitter feed. Whitehead has averaged 22.7 PPG, 6.7 RPG and 3.3 APG in three G League games this season. He has also appeared in nine games for the Brooklyn Nets, averaging 7.0 PPG, 2.0 RP and 1.7 APG in 12.1 MPG.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 12/8/17

Here are Friday’s G League assignments and recalls from across the NBA:

  • The Hornets have assigned point guard Julyan Stone to the G League, the team announced today in a press release. Stone appeared in Charlotte’s first two games this season, but has battled a hamstring injury since then and it’s not clear if there’s room for him in the rotation anymore.
  • Second-year guard Isaiah Whitehead has been recalled from the G League by the Nets, according to a press release from the club. Whitehead, who will join the Nets in Mexico City, has played in eight NBA games and three G League games so far this season.
  • Rookie guard Furkan Korkmaz continues to bounce back and forth between the NBA and the G League, with the Sixers sending him back to Delaware today (link via Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer). Korkmaz will suit up for the 87ers – Philadelphia’s G League affiliate – in Canton tonight.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 12/03/17

Here are Saturday’s G League assignments and recalls from across the NBA:

  • The Nets have assigned guard Isaiah Whitehead to their affiliate, the Long Island Nets, the team announced in a press release on Sunday. Whitehead has averaged  6.3 PPG, 1.6 RPG and 1.8 APG in eight games with Brooklyn this season.
  • The Timberwolves have assigned center Justin Patton to their affiliate, the Iowa Wolves, according to the team’s media relations department (via Twitter). The Timberwolves acquired the draft rights to the 20-year-old Patton in the same deal that sent Jimmy Butler to Minnesota, but he has yet to play this season due to surgery on his left foot.
  • The 76ers have recalled guard Furkan Korkmaz from their affiliate, the Delaware 87ers, per Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (via Twitter). Korkmaz has appeared in five games for the Sixers this season.
  • The Hawks have recalled forward Nicolas Brussino from their affiliate, the Erie Bayhawks, per Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (via Twitter). Brussino has appeared in four games for Atlanta this season.

Atlantic Notes: Waiters, Knicks, Casey, Whitehead

When Dion Waiters reached the open market back in July, the Knicks were cited as a potential suitor for him, though the free agent guard ultimately agreed to a long-term deal to return to the Heat. With the Heat and Knicks squaring off on Wednesday night for the first time this season, Waiters revisited his time as a free agent, confirming that New York did have have interest in him and made him an offer.

“They were talking, they were trying,” Waiters said, per Marc Berman of The New York Post. “My agent was talking to [the Knicks] more than I was.”

Waiters acknowledged that the appeal of playing in New York City and the proximity to his hometown (Philadelphia) and college (Syracuse) had him intrigued by the possibility of playing for the Knicks. However, his preference was always to stick with the Heat if that was viable. “Other teams figured that’s how it was going to be,” Waiters added.

Here’s more from around the Atlantic division:

  • After a year of stability in the head coaching ranks, two coaches have already been fired this season and others are finding themselves on the hot seat. However, Raptors head coach Dwane Casey, whose job security has looked shaky at times in the past, seems pretty safe right now, says Doug Smith of The Toronto Star.
  • Brian Lewis of The New York Post takes a closer look at the development of second-year guard Isaiah Whitehead, who has frequently bounced back and forth this season between the Nets and their G League affiliate. If Whitehead can cut down on his turnovers, he should continue to see more time in Brooklyn than in Long Island, writes Lewis.
  • Speaking of the G League, the Sixers‘ affiliate, the Delaware 87ers, will be getting a brand new home for the 2018/19 season. Jessica Camerato of NBC Sports Philadelphia has the details on the 76ers Fieldhouse, the multi-purpose sports complex in Wilmington, Delaware which will hold about 2,500 fans for G League games.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 11/27/17

Here are the G League moves from around the NBA today:

  • The Knicks assigned guard Ron Baker to their Westchester affiliate and he’s expected to play tonight against the Windy City Bulls, according to a tweet from their PR department. Baker has already appeared in two G League games this season, averaging 13.0 PPG in 36.1 MPG.
  • The Rockets recalled center Zhou Qi from the RGV Vipers, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle tweets. That’s an indication that his sore calf would have prevented him from playing with the Vipers tonight, Feigen adds. Zhou missed the Vipers’ game on Saturday and the recall will allow him to get treatment from Houston’s medical staff.
  • The Grizzlies assigned power forward Ivan Rabb to their affiliate, the Memphis Hustle, the Grizzlies media relations department tweets. The second-rounder out of Cal has already played six G League games, averaging 19.0 PPG and 9.7 RPG in 28.6 MPG.
  • The Jazz assigned center Tony Bradley to the Salt Lake City Stars, according to the team’s Twitter feed (Twitter link). The big man out of North Carolina scored 20 points in his only previous G League appearance.
  • The Nets recalled guard Isaiah Whitehead from the Long Island Nets prior to their game against the Rockets, according to a team press release. He has played two G League games, averaging 29.0 PPG, 8.5 RPG and 3.5 APG in 37.3 MPG.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 11/24/17

Here are the G League moves from around the NBA today:

  • The Rockets have assigned big man Zhou Qi to their G League affiliate, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle tweets. Qi will land with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers after showcasing some of his potential with the big league club on Wednesday.
  • The Grizzlies assigned Ivan Rabb to the Memphis Hustle, the team tweeted. Rabb has averaged 21.3 points and 11.3 rebounds per game for the G League affiliate this season.
  • The Nets have assigned Isaiah Whitehead to their G League affiliate in Long Island, the team announced in a press release. Whitehead has averaged 3.6 points per game with the big league club and scored 26 points in his lone G League game this season.

Atlantic Notes: Covington, Siakam, Porzingis

While the common reaction may be to tout Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons as prime examples of The Process paying off, Keith Pompey of The Inquirer writes that Robert Covington may be a better example.

Covington, now a coveted (and well-paid) three-and-D specialist, was an unpolished, lanky three-point shooter when the Sixers picked him up during the 2014/15 season. It was head coach Brett Brown who challenged him to round out his game.

The Process, Pompey writes, was about developing young players amid all the years of tanking so a completed project like Covington – who now averages 16.7 points and 5.7 rebounds per game, not to mention 3.7 threes per contest at a .491 clip – is as fine an embodiment as any of the Sixers’ transition.

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

  • With D’Angelo Russell and Jeremy Lin in street clothes, now is Isaiah Whitehead‘s time to earn playing time at the point guard position, Greg Joyce of the New York Post writes. “I think I’ve matured a lot since last year,” Whitehead says of the fluctuations in his role with the Nets. “I don’t think I would have been able to handle that last year. But I’ve matured a lot, knowing it’s for the better. … I think I reacted well to it.
  • Second-year forward Pascal Siakam has made an impact on Raptors games with his relentless energy level, Michael Grange of Sportsnet writes. “He don’t get tired,” teammate DeMar DeRozan says. “I don’t understand it. Y’all should see him before practice. He’s out there doing all types of drills, already sweating and everything. It’s crazy to see.
  • An eclectic offseason training regime can be credited, at least in part, with Kristaps Porzingis‘ emergence as a superstar this season, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes. The Knicks big man trained with a professional boxer and went on a safari in South Africa.

Nets Notes: Point Guards, Harris, Hollis-Jefferson

The Nets are without an exact timetable for D’Angelo Russell‘s recovery from a knee contusion, Brian Lewis of the New York Post writes, so they haven’t made any reactionary moves to replace him just yet.

If the 21-year-old, who has been sidelined with the injury since last Saturday, ends up in street clothes long-term, Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson may look to bring in reserves.

We’re not there. It’s updates every day, that’s where we are,” Atkinson said. “If it were contrary to that, somebody would be here. So we’re just obviously [expecting not to need that].

In the meantime, Alex Squadron of the New York Post writes, the Nets will turn to Spencer Dinwiddie as their temporary starter. They also have Isaiah Whitehead and Sean Kilpatrick available to step up in Russell’s absence too.

Spencer’s made a jump up. Isaiah has got a year under his belt. And obviously Sean played a lot of minutes [for the Nets] last year,” Atkinson said. “I just think our roster is a lot better equipped this year to deal with guys being out.

There’s more out of Brooklyn tonight:

  • In addition to Spencer Dinwiddie and Isaiah Whitehead, Caris LeVert also saw time at the one in the club’s Tuesday night loss to the Celtics, writes Bryan Fonseca of Nets Daily. “I thought our defense was pretty good,” head coach Kenny Atkinson said of the decision to try their swingman at the point. “Caris handled the ball a fair amount and that worked out OK. We need more of a sample size. We need to feel it out more. I am giving you a little bit of a vague answer, but we’re still trying to figure it out.
  • With a clearly established role, fourth-year guard Joe Harris is stepping up and thriving. As the New York Post’s Alex Squadron writes, Harris has reached double figures seven times this season, shooting 38.5% from beyond the arc.
  • While the Nets have struggled to stay healthy of late – and win games, for that matter – one thing that’s going particularly well is the development of Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. Alex Squadron of the New York Post writes that the versatile forward has made progress in 2017/18. “It’s great to see,” head coach Kenny Atkinson says. “I have a special place in my heart for Rondae for some reason. We have a good relationship.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 11/7/17

Here are Tuesday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

5:23pm:

3:32pm:

  • The Spurs have recalled Tony Parker from the G League, the team announced today in a press release. Parker has been bouncing back and forth between San Antonio and the Austin Spurs as he recovers from surgery on his quadriceps.

1:33pm:

  • The Raptors have assigned Bruno Caboclo to the G League, the team announced today (via Twitter). Because this is Caboclo’s fourth NBA season, the move required his approval.
  • Second-year forward Derrick Jones has been sent to the Northern Arizona Suns, according to a press release issued today by Phoenix. The Suns’ affiliate doesn’t play its next game until Thursday, so we’ll see if Jones’ assignment lasts that long.
  • The Jazz have assigned a pair of rookies, Tony Bradley and Royce O’Neale, to their G League affiliate, according to a press release.
  • A day after sending him to the G League, the Rockets have recalled rookie big man Zhou Qi, the team announced (via Twitter). Zhou scored 15 points on Monday for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.
  • The Nets have recalled Isaiah Whitehead from the G League, the club announced in a press release. Whitehead last played for the Long Island Nets on Saturday, when he racked up 26 points and grabbed seven boards.