Jamil Wilson

Pacific Notes: Curry, Wilson, Williams, Lakers

Warriors point guard Stephen Curry suffered a sprained right ankle earlier this month, but a medical reevaluation on Tuesday revealed he has made significant progress in his recovery, the team announced. Curry is scheduled to begin modified on-court workouts in the coming days and will be reevaluated in a week, the press release noted.

The Warriors have played well in Curry’s absence, winning all five games since he suffered the injury. Even without their former two-time NBA Most Valuable Player award recipient, the Warriors remain a potent threat, led by the likes of Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green. However, replacing Curry’s production in the lineup is no small feat. In 23 games this season, Curry has averaged 26.3 PPG, 6.6 APG, and 5.1 RPG.

Read up on other news out of the Pacific Division below:

  • A pair of two-way deals with Jamil Wilson and C.J. Williams didn’t seem like major moves at the time of their signings, but both men have played considerable roles for the Clippers, Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times writes. Two-way players are not permitted to spend more than 45 days with the NBA team but both Wilson and Williams have been burning through those days, providing an impact for a struggling Clippers team.
  • While Wilson has been impressive for the Clippers, he could be on the chopping block by the end of the week as the Clippers may elect to sign a new two-way player once his 45 days are up, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks (via Twitter).
  • The Lakers elected to go in a completely new direction last season and Kobe Bryants former agent turned general manager, Rob Pelinka, was at the forefront of that change. With young talent in abundance and ample resources, Pelinka feels the team can soon lure the right players to the city of angels, USA TODAY’s Sam Amick writes. “We have as much cap flexibility, or cap health, as any team in the league. We know that this is a destination city for players to want to be in,” Pelinka said. “We have a legacy with our franchise that really can’t be duplicated, and we’ve got a pass-first, ball-sharing point guard (in Lonzo Ball), which players want to play with. So I think the culmination of all those forces is, like you said, we feel like we’ve become a destination again. Now it’s going to be Magic’s job, and my job with Jeanie’s guidance to complete the puzzle with the right pieces as we move forward.”
  • Isaiah Canaan has been a revelation for the Suns in Devin Booker‘s absence, but the team would need to create a roster spot for him once Booker returns, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks (via Twitter).

2017 NBA G League Expansion Draft Results

The NBA G League conducted its expansion draft today, allowing the league’s four new franchises to add the returning rights to 11 players apiece. The league’s previously-existing 22 teams had been permitted to retain the rights to nine players each, leaving the rest of their players unprotected and free to be drafted, though no team can lose more than two players. Adam Johnson recently outlined the full details of the expansion draft process in a piece for 2 Ways & 10 Days.

The G League’s four new teams this year are affiliates for the Hawks (Erie BayHawks), Grizzlies (Memphis Hustle), Bucks (Wisconsin Herd), and Clippers (Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario). The Erie BayHawks have been in the G League for years but are technically an expansion team since the old iteration of the BayHawks was purchased by the Magic and moved to Lakeland, Florida — the Lakeland Magic will retain returning rights for former BayHawks players.

The players added today by the G League’s four expansion teams won’t necessarily play for them this season — in fact, it’s not all that common for expansion draftees to suit up for their new clubs. Many of those players will try to catch on with an NBA team or will end up playing overseas, if they’re not already on an NBA or international roster. Still, the expansion draft gives the G League’s new teams some assets as they start to build their rosters for the coming season.

Listed below are the results of today’s expansion draft, per the G League’s official announcement. The player’s former G League team is noted in parentheses, and picks are ordered by round. The teams will hold their players’ rights for the next two seasons:

Erie BayHawks (Hawks)

  1. DeAndre Daniels (Raptors 905)
  2. Sean Kilpatrick (Delaware 87ers)*
  3. Ronald Roberts (Reno Bighorns)
  4. Terran Petteway (Maine Red Claws)
  5. Casey Prather (Windy City Bulls)
  6. Jordan Crawford (Grand Rapids Drive)*
  7. Jordan Sibert (Iowa Energy)
  8. Beau Beech (Long Island Nets)
  9. Raphiael Putney (Rio Grande Valley Vipers)
  10. Luke Harangody (Lakeland Magic)
  11. Will Bynum (Windy City Bulls)

Memphis Hustle (Grizzlies)

  1. Marquis Teague (Fort Wayne Mad Ants)
  2. Okaro White (Sioux Falls Skyforce)*
  3. D.J. Stephens (Iowa Energy)
  4. Omari Johnson (Fort Wayne Mad Ants)
  5. Jamaal Franklin (Long Island Nets)
  6. Adonis Thomas (Grand Rapids Drive)
  7. Manny Harris (Texas Legends)
  8. Mark Tyndale (Reno Bighorns)
  9. Jordon Crawford (Canton Charge)
  10. Jimmer Fredette (Westchester Knicks)
  11. Terrence Drisdom (Santa Cruz Warriors)

Wisconsin Herd (Bucks)

  1. Vince Hunter (Sioux Falls Skyforce)
  2. Gracin Bakumanya (Northern Arizona Suns)
  3. Perry Ellis (Greensboro Swarm)
  4. Corey Walden (Maine Red Claws)
  5. Josh Davis (Greensboro Swarm)
  6. Michael Dunigan (Canton Charge)
  7. Jarvis Summers (Rio Grande Valley Vipers)
  8. James Siakam (Raptors 905)
  9. Kyle Casey (Northern Arizona Suns)
  10. Cady Lalanne (Austin Spurs)
  11. Tyler Harvey (Lakeland Magic)

Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario (Clippers)

  1. Andre Dawkins (Texas Legends)
  2. Bryce Cotton (Oklahoma City Blue)
  3. Corey Hawkins (Delaware 87ers)
  4. Will Cummings (Delaware 87ers)
  5. J.J. O’Brien (Salt Lake City Stars)
  6. Jamil Wilson (South Bay Lakers)
  7. Keith Steffeck (Santa Cruz Warriors)
  8. Julian Jacobs (South Bay Lakers)
  9. Aaron Craft (Salt Lake City Stars)
  10. Thanasis Antetokounmpo (Westchester Knicks)
  11. Youssou Ndoye (Austin Spurs)

Players marked with an asterisk (*) are currently on an NBA roster. If they remain under contract and are assigned to the G League, they would join their current NBA team’s affiliate.

Pacific Notes: Ball, Jackson, Wilson, Suns

Lonzo Ball‘s rise from UCLA standout to the Lakers‘ teenage cornerstone has been largely hyped up by his outspoken father, LaVar Ball. The elder Ball has become a media sensation, known for his flurry of outrageous claims (claiming he can beat Michael Jordan one-on-one) and promotion of his son’s abilities has been front page news since last year. While the world is still learning how to deal with the circus, the younger Ball is not ashamed or surprised at how his father conducts himself in the public eye.

“I think it’s overblown, I mean, that’s how my dad is, I’m used to him acting like that, so it’s nothing new for me,” Ball said in an interview with USA Today. “The way we look at it as a family is positive, you know, we talked it over before all this happened and we all know he’s going to do what he’s going to do. We just look at it as a positive and try to run with it.”

Once the season is underway, and Lonzo tries to live up to LaVar’s promise of leading the Lakers to the playoffs in his first season, past comments will not be relevant anymore. Ball will have to execute his on-court abilities and block out the noise associated with the NBA season. He will seek showing the world that his dad claiming his son is better than Stephen Curry is more than an offhand comment.

Below you can read additional news surrounding the Pacific Division:

  • The Kyrie Irving saga has continued and training camp, followed by the regular season, are all drawing closer. Irving has drawn interest from around the NBA and in his latest piece, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer examines the possibility of Kyrie to the Suns. Specifically, O’Connor addresses Phoenix trading 2017 first rounder Josh Jackson for the NBA champion, ultimately viewing a trade for a proven commodity over keeping an athletic asset with upside a no-brainer.
  • The Clippers‘ deal with Jamil Wilson is a two-year, two-way contract, according to basketball journalist David Pick (via Twitter). Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweeted that $50,000 of Wilson’s first-year salary is guaranteed.
  • In a minor coaching change, the Suns named Jeff Fish the director of performance and head strength and conditioning coach, per a team announcement.

Jamil Wilson Signs Two-Way Deal With Clippers

AUGUST 3: The Clippers have officially signed Wilson to a two-way contract, the team announced today in a press release.

JULY 15: After a strong showing in the Summer League with the Clippers, Jamil Wilson will opt-out of his EuroLeague deal with Brose Baskets Bamberg to sign a two-way deal with the Clippers, per European basketball journalist David Pick (via Twitter).

Wilson, 26, had agreed to join the Baskets earlier this month after spending time with Fiat Torino of Italy-Serie A and in Puerto Rico with Cangrejeros De Sauntruce. However, his play in Vegas this summer may lead to a more substantial opportunity than in years’ past.

In the Clippers’ first four Summer League games, Wilson averaged 13.5 PPG and 5.5 RPG while shooting an outstanding 81% (22-for-27) from the floor.

Going undrafted in the 2014 NBA Draft, Wilson has had several tours of duty in the Summer League and the now NBA G League with the Wizards and Mavericks.

Mavs Release Ashley, Holloway, Wilson

The Mavericks have waived power forward Brandon Ashley, point guard Tu Holloway, and small forward Jamil Wilson, the team announced via a press release. Wilson and Ashley both have $50K partial guarantees on their deals, which Dallas will be responsible for provided they clear waivers. The terms of Holloway’s deal were not reported, though it was likely a minimum salary pact with little or no guaranteed money. The Mavs’ roster count now sits at 16 players, one over the regular season maximum.

Holloway played for the Venezuelan team the past two seasons and has also made stops in Puerto Rico, Mexico, Belgium and Turkey since going undrafted in 2012. He totaled 12 points, eight assists and three turnovers in nearly 44 minutes of action over four games with the Mavs summer league team in July of that year after posting averages of 17.5 points, 4.9 assists and 3.0 turnovers in 36.6 minutes per game as a senior for Xavier in 2011/12. He did not make an appearance during this preseason for Dallas.

Wilson, 24, played for the Wizards in this year’s summer league in Vegas. He averaged 7.4 points and 3.2 rebounds per game, while shooting 41.7% from the field. He also saw action in all seven games this preseason and averaged 2.4 points and 1.6 rebounds in 17.5 minutes.

The 6’9” Ashley averaged 12.2 points and 5.2 rebounds as a junior last season before declaring for the draft. He averaged 11.5 points and 5.8 rebounds as a sophomore before breaking his foot in February of that season. Ashley played seven games for the Hawks in the Las Vegas Summer League, averaging 10.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists. Ashley appeared in all seven preseason contests for the Mavs this season and averaged 1.1 points and 2.6 rebounds in 12.1 minutes.

Southwest Rumors: Matthews, Bonner, Rockets

The Mavericks have tempered their expectations of Wesley Matthews for the upcoming season because they don’t want to jeopardize his future, according to Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com. Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said that the club won’t take any shortcuts as Matthews recovers from a torn Achilles tendon, Sneed continues. “I think the most important thing is that he makes a full recovery, because we’re signing him to a four-year deal,” Carlisle said. “The first year is more about making sure that he’s right and getting him out there on the right terms, and from there we want him to make a full recovery and continue to get better.” Matthews said in the same story that the Mavs will get their money’s worth, even though they have been criticized for giving him a $70MM deal. “It’s just going to make me hungrier to prove that I’m worth the money,” he said. “I’m not concerned with that. I just know that I can play this game, and I know that I can play it at a high level.”

In other news around the Southwest Division:

  • Maurice Ndour will see $1 more the minimum on his three-year contract with the Mavericks, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). It’s fully guaranteed for this season, but the guarantees beyond that are still unknown, Pincus indicates. Brandon Ashley, Jarrid Famous and Jamil Wilson are also receiving the minimum from the Mavs this year, Pincus shows on the same page.
  • Matt Bonner received a $795,000 guarantee from the Spurs on his $1.5MM deal, Pincus reports in a separate tweet. Bonner gets the full amount if he’s still on the roster on January 10th.
  • Rockets executive vice president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas has been named International Player Personnel Scout for USA Basketball, the team announced Monday. Entering his fourth season with the Rockets in that capacity, Rosas was previously the Mavericks’ GM.

Texas Notes: Jenkins, Mavs, Spurs, Fredette

John Jenkins had interest from several teams this offseason, but the former No. 23 overall pick is optimistic about his decision to sign with Dallas, Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes.
“I feel great about it,” Jenkins said. “I think I needed a fresh start, and the Mavericks are giving me that opportunity. I waited longer than I thought I’d have to wait, as crazy as it was, but it was well worth it going to this team and for their interest in me. It feels good to be wanted and to go out there and be a part of what is going on with their team is great.”
The guard was vaunted for his shooting ability prior to the 2012 Draft and he has shown the potential to be an offensive weapon since coming into the league. Jenkins shot 37.5% from behind the arc in limited playing time during his first three seasons. New addition Wesley Matthews is expected to be ready for opening night after recovering from an Achilles injury, but if the Mavs choose to proceed with caution and limit the 28-year-old’s minutes, Jenkins could see significant playing time right off the bat. Owner Mark Cuban expects big things from the shooting guard and gave him some advice after the team signed him last week.
“He told me just to make buckets,” said Jenkins. “That’s what I do best, and that’s what I’m going to do.”
Here’s more from The Lone Star State:

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Mavs Sign Jamil Wilson To Camp Deal

MONDAY, 2:57pm: The Mavs have officially signed Wilson, the team announced via press release.

SUNDAY, 10:43am: Jamil Wilson will be added to the Mavs’ training camp roster, Shams Charania of RealGM tweets. The forward’s deal will be partially guaranteed, according to Charania.

The Marquette product reached an agreement with the Suns prior to last season, which allowed Phoenix to secure his D-League rights. The Suns then waived Wilson and he signed with their D-League affiliate, the Bakersfield Jam. There’s a good chance that Wilson will follow the same path and end up on Texas Legends, the D-League affiliate of the Mavs, although that is just my speculation.

The forward played for the Wizards in this year’s summer league in Vegas. He averaged 7.4 points and 3.2 rebounds per game, while shooting 41.7% from the field.

Jamil Wilson To Sign With D-League

Jamil Wilson is set to sign with the Bakersfield Jam of the D-League, tweets Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times. Bakersfield is Phoenix’s D-League affiliate, so that suggests that the Suns have retained the D-League rights to the former Marquette forward who was on a non-guaranteed deal with Phoenix before the team waived him last week. Otherwise, Wilson would be subject to the D-League draft.

Wilson, who turns 24 next month, appeared in two preseason games for a shade under nine minutes while with the Suns after joining the Wizards for summer league. His 11.7 points per game in his senior year at Marquette gave him his lone double-digit scoring season in college, but the Suns, Jazz, Wizards, Raptors, Timberwolves, Mavs, Pacers, Spurs and Pistons all reportedly worked him out this spring prior the draft. Still, he didn’t hear his name called on draft night.

NBA teams can retain the D-League rights to as many as four of players they cut during the preseason, up from three last year. It’s unclear if Phoenix will do so with Joe Jackson and Casey Prather, whom the Suns also let go when they released Wilson.

Suns Waive Jackson, Prather, Wilson

The Suns have waived Joe Jackson, Casey Prather and Jamil Wilson, the team announced in a press release. All three players were in camp on non-guaranteed deals, so Phoenix isn’t on the hook for any salary as they begin paring down their roster in anticipation of opening night. The three rookies initially signed with the Suns at the end of September, and all were longshots to make the regular season roster. These moves leave the Suns’ preseason roster count at 16, with Earl Barron being the lone player left whose deal isn’t fully guaranteed.

Prather played in the summer league for the Hawks before catching Phoenix’s eye after a  predraft workout. The small forward out of Florida averaged 13.8 points in 27.9 minutes per game represented the first double-digit scoring average of his college career.

The 6’7″ Wilson went undrafted this year out of Marquette despite being projected as a possible late second-round pick by some. His college numbers, which include his freshman season at Oregon, are 8.5 PPG, 4.6 RPG, and 1.6 APG. His college shooting statistics were .447/.336/.708.

Jackson worked out for the Wolves, Kings, Suns, Knicks, Rockets, Mavs, Grizzlies, and the  Jazz prior to the 2014 Draft, but didn’t hear his name called that evening. He was able to catch the Suns’ eye during a June workout, which led to him joining Phoenix for training camp.