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Northwest Notes: Knox, J. Williams, Wolves, McDaniels

March 2nd, 2024 at 1:31pm CST by Luke Adams

Free agent forward Kevin Knox has returned to the G League, having reported back to the Rip City Remix, according to a tweet from the Trail Blazers‘ G League affiliate.

Knox was with the Remix in the fall, but signed with the Pistons in early November and was in the NBA for three months before being sent to Utah at February’s trade deadline. The Jazz immediately waived him, and with no NBA opportunities immediately presenting themselves, the former No. 9 overall pick eventually decide to head back to the G League.

Knox racked up 26 points and 11 rebounds and was a +23 in a 15-point victory over Iowa in his return to Rip City on Friday. A few more performances like that could help earn him another shot at the NBA level. For what it’s worth, since he was waived before March 1, he’ll be playoff-eligible if he signs a rest-of-season contract with an NBA club.

Here are a few more notes from around the Northwest:

  • Thunder center Jaylin Williams has been diagnosed with a sprained left knee, head coach Mark Daigneault said on Friday (Twitter link via Rylan Stiles of Locked on Thunder). There’s no word yet on the severity of the sprain, but it’s often a week-to-week injury, so one of the team’s recent frontcourt additions – Bismack Biyombo and Mike Muscala – may get an opportunity to claim a rotation role.
  • Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter links) clarifies that incoming Timberwolves owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez have until the end of March to make their final payment to assume majority control of the franchise. Sources close to the Lore/Rodriguez group say they remain on track to make that payment, per Krawczynski. Current majority owner Glen Taylor said in a recent conversation with Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News that he was told Lore and Rodriguez planned to close the sale at the end of February, which didn’t happen. However, it doesn’t sound like the new ownership group has missed any deadlines.
  • Chris Hine of The Star Tribune explores Jaden McDaniels‘ importance to the Timberwolves and notes that the club will need an “even-keeled” version of the young forward in order to reach its ceiling. McDaniels memorably broke his hand when he punched a wall on the final day of the 2022/23 regular season and missed Minnesota’s play-in loss.
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Injury Notes: Kyrie, Thunder, Mann, Lyles

November 3rd, 2023 at 3:00pm CST by Luke Adams

After missing the last two games due to a sprained left foot, Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving has been upgraded to available for Friday’s game vs. the Nuggets, as first reported by Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

The Mavericks are the only undefeated team left in the Western Conference, but will face a tough matchup in their first in-season tournament game tonight as they visit the defending champions in the altitude of Denver, so they’ll be happy to have Irving back in their lineup.

Here are a few more injury-related updates from around the NBA:

  • There’s good and bad news on the injury front for the Thunder. Center Jaylin Williams will be available for the first time this season on Friday after having been sidelined with a right hamstring strain. However, star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is among the team’s unavailable players vs. Golden State due to a left knee sprain (Twitter links via Rylan Stiles of Locked on Thunder).
  • Clippers guard/forward Terance Mann, who has yet to play this season due to what the team is calling a sprained left ankle, said in a YouTube video that he “overstretched” a muscle or “maybe tore it a little” (hat tip to Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times). Mann added that there’s no timeline for his return and he’s still focused on trying to reduce the swelling in the ankle.
  • The Kings have ruled out forward Trey Lyles for at least two more games, the team announced today (Twitter link via Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee). Lyles, hampered by a left calf strain, has yet to suit up for Sacramento this season.
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Northwest Notes: Hendricks, Sensabaugh, George, Williams, Nuggets

November 2nd, 2023 at 11:01pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Neither Taylor Hendricks nor Brice Sensabaugh, the Nos. 9 and 28 overall picks in the 2023 draft, are in the Jazz rotation to begin the season. Instead, the duo will begin the year by practicing with Utah’s G League affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars, in training camp, according to Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune.

Larsen points out that fellow rookie Keyonte George, drafted after Hendricks with the No. 16 overall pick, has been a regular contributor. While Larsen notes that several former rookies who didn’t play much early in their careers went on to find success, it’s clear the Jazz don’t believe Hendricks is ready to contribute at the NBA level right now. Participating in G League training camp will give both rookies ample practice time.

“You want young players to get reps, and live reps against good players. Once our season gets going, the amount of practice time shrinks considerably,” head coach Will Hardy said. “They practiced today for two and a half hours. We did not have a two-and-a-half-hour live shootaround this morning.”

For what it’s worth, both Hendricks and Sensabaugh are appreciating the opportunity for more practice time, according to Larsen.

“We’re seeing younger and younger players come into the NBA,” Hardy said. “Eight years ago, it wasn’t like you were drafting three 19-year-olds in the same draft. We’re just trying to get those guys as many reps as we can until they’re in a position to play enough minutes with our group every night that it would be overkill to send them there. Both those guys understand that this is the opposite of punishment.”

We have more Northwest Division notes:

  • The Jazz are also taking a patient approach with fellow rookie George, according to The Athletic’s Tony Jones, and he partially holds the keys to Utah’s future. The guard had a dominant Summer League and training camp, but Utah is being cautious and won’t put too much on his plate too soon. Jones writes that George has the highest natural instincts for the point guard position of anyone on the roster and that it’s difficult to envision a scenario where he isn’t the starting point guard by next season.
  • The Thunder assigned Jaylin Williams to their G League affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue, on Wednesday, according to Rylan Stiles (Twitter link). This was part of Williams’ ramp-up to play, as he’s been dealing with a hamstring injury. Oklahoma City recalled Williams later on Wednesday (Twitter link).
  • The transition from last season to this one has been seamless for the Nuggets‘ bench so far despite losing players like Bruce Brown and Jeff Green, according to The Denver Post’s Bennett Durando. Denver’s bench, consisting primarily of Reggie Jackson, Christian Braun, Peyton Watson and Zeke Nnaji, outscored opposing bench players 132-105 through its first four games, shooting 50.5% from the field and holding opponents to 38.3% shooting from the floor. That group, along with Jamal Murray, boasts a defensive rating of 83.6. “Anyone can go off any night,” Nnaji said.
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Thunder Notes: Williams, Micic, Dort

October 17th, 2023 at 9:31pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Thunder reserve big man Jaylin Williams will miss some early regular season games due a hamstring strain suffered in practice, Brett Dawson tweets. Williams will be reevaluated in a couple of weeks.

Williams projects as Chet Holmgren‘s backup this season after starting 36 of 49 games last season during his rookie campaign. A second-round pick in 2022, Williams averaged 5.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 18.7 minutes.

Olivier Sarr and Ousmane Dieng could see more action until Williams returns.

We have more on the Thunder:

  • Vasilije Micic has noticed some major differences between the EuroLeague and NBA, as Eurohoops.net relays. “It’s open space, with a much higher pace of play compared to the EuroLeague,” he said. “The paint is more open, providing a lot of opportunities for creative players to penetrate and gain an advantage, especially for skilled ball handlers. It’s also a bit easier to create from that spacing. I’m still trying to adjust. Everything is still new for me, but my teammates are helping me learn as quickly as possible. I believe that, together, we will get there eventually.” The former EuroLeague MVP signed a three-year, $23.5MM contract with Oklahoma City in July.
  • Luguentz Dort scored a team-high 24 points during the team’s exhibition game Thursday in Montreal. It was an emotional homecoming for the Montreal native, he told Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman. He spoke in French to the crowd prior to the contest. “I just told them that we were honored to be here,” Dort said, “As a Montreal guy, it was an honor for me to bring my team here and play in front of them.”
  • Get all the details on the big Thunder-Rockets trade here.
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Thunder Notes: Holmgren, Mann, Williams, Presti

July 17th, 2023 at 8:58am CST by Arthur Hill

No matter what else happened for the Thunder, the highlight of Summer League was seeing Chet Holmgren back on the court, writes Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman. After missing all of last season with a Lisfranc injury to his right foot, the No. 2 pick in the 2022 draft showed off his potential in Salt Lake City and Las Vegas, averaging 16.5 points, 9.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists in four games.

While he looked rusty in some areas, such as committing 15 turnovers and shooting 1-of-9 from three-point range, Mussatto notes that the most encouraging part of Holmgren’s game was watching him protect the basket. He averaged 3.5 blocks per game and used his 7’1″ frame to alter numerous other shots.

“Conditioning wise, there’s millions of hurdles you have to go through in the process of returning to play,” Holmgren said after his Summer League return. “Not being able to play a game for a year, it’s really hard to test and see where you are. … It’s definitely something I have to continue to work on, and I’ll be ready by the time training camp starts. I feel like I’ll have myself prepared to be in in-season shape.”

There’s more on the Thunder:

  • Tre Mann was shut down in Las Vegas due to an avulsion fracture in his right middle finger, but it’s not believed to be a long-term concern, Mussatto adds. The Thunder expect the backup point guard to resume basketball activities by the end of July.
  • The selection of Jaylin Williams in the second round of last year’s draft will allow Holmgren to spend more time at power forward and avoid the physical contact that comes with playing center, notes Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Williams is a rugged 6’10” big man who led the NBA in drawing charges last season and shot 40.7% from beyond the arc. “It’s good because it allows my length to be found in the game in different ways,” Holmgren said of playing alongside Williams. “When he’s at the five, he’s in (screen) coverage more, and I’m able to kind of move around and roam the court a little more on defense, be the low man in help and be able to come over for blocks if somebody gets beat or use my length in the passing lanes and as an on-ball defender.”
  • General manager Sam Presti didn’t add anyone this summer who projects as a long-term keeper, Slater observes in the same piece. Presti opted to use his cap room to collect more draft assets while taking on the contracts of Davis Bertans, Victor Oladipo and Rudy Gay. Slater views Oladipo and Gay as buyout options, while Bertans may reach that status eventually with just $5MM guaranteed for 2024/25. Presti also traded for former first-round picks Usman Garuba and TyTy Washington, but Slater doubts that they’ll see much playing time considering the talent that’s already in place.
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NBA Announces All-Rookie Teams

May 8th, 2023 at 1:12pm CST by Rory Maher

Rookie of the Year winner Paolo Banchero was a unanimous choice for the 2022/23 All-Rookie First Team, the NBA announced today (via Twitter).

Players receive two points for a First Team vote and one point for a Second Team vote, and Banchero received the maximum possible 200 points.

Here’s the full five-man squad, listed in order of their total points received via voters:

The All-Rookie Second Team was announced as well, with a couple of teammates headlining the group (Twitter link).

In my opinion, the most surprising omission from the All-Rookie Second Team was Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard, who received 46 points. Nembhard was actually listed on one more ballot than Eason, but Eason received two First Team votes versus Nembhard’s zero, giving him a narrow edge.

That’s not to say Eason (or anyone else) was undeserving — he had a strong season as a tenacious offensive rebounder and defender. I just thought Nembhard should have been honored because he started the majority of the season for a competitive Indiana team and was frequently tasked with guarding the opposing teams’ best player, as Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files notes (via Twitter).

According to the NBA (Twitter link), others receiving votes included Trail Blazers guard Shaedon Sharpe (36), Hawks wing AJ Griffin (26), Nuggets forward Christian Braun, Thunder center Jaylin Williams (seven), Mavericks guard Jaden Hardy (four), Spurs guard Malaki Branham (three), Pelicans guard Dyson Daniels (two), Hornets center Mark Williams (two) and Bucks wing MarJon Beauchamp (one).

In case you missed it, more NBA awards will be coming later this week. The All-Defensive teams will be announced on Tuesday, followed by All-NBA on Wednesday and the Teammate of the Year award on Thursday.

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Thunder Notes: SGA, Butler, Jaylin Williams

March 6th, 2023 at 1:57pm CST by Rory Maher

Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman (subscriber link) calls Shai Gilgeous-Alexander another “too-good-to-be-true superstar,” noting that the fifth-year guard went out of his way to wear a Thunder– and Oklahoma City-inspired jacket to his first All-Star game. As Tramel writes, Gilgeous-Alexander may not have had the prospect pedigree of Kevin Durant, but he has developed into a star in his own right, and the 24-year-old is a “consummate leader, forever saying and doing the right things.”

When Tramel brought his “too-good-to-be-true” theory up to head coach Mark Daigneault, he readily agreed.

“Part of the reason why it’s too good to be true, is because he doesn’t separate himself out,” Daigneault said of SGA. “Even with all the temptations and all the attention and status and money, and all the stuff that could tempt you to separate yourself.

“And really, there’s nothing in the NBA stopping players from doing that. You’re kind of at the mercy of whether they want to. Fortunately for us, he’s on that track. He’s already checked a lot of those boxes. And yet, he wants to do it inside the team. He wants to do it inside the organization, he wants to be part of something bigger than himself.”

Gilgeous-Alexander’s maturity and team-first mentality, not to mention his long-term contract that runs through 2026/27, seems to bode well for the Thunder as they continue to build around him, according to Tramel.

Here’s more on the Thunder:

  • Gilgeous-Alexander cleared the NBA’s health and safety protocols on Saturday and was able to suit up on Sunday, tweets Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman. Gilgeous-Alexander missed five consecutive games with a combination of an abdominal strain, right ankle soreness and then entering the protocols. The Thunder went just 1-4 in his absence, but were victorious last night against Utah. The 24-year-old didn’t miss a beat in his return, recording 38 points, seven rebounds, four assists, three steals and a block.
  • Daigneault said Thunder GM Sam Presti was high on guard Jared Butler entering the 2021 draft, per Mussatto (Twitter link). Butler just signed a two-way deal with Oklahoma City last week, making one brief appearance thus far. The Thunder had four picks ahead of where Butler was selected (No. 40 overall), including two in the 30s, so they had multiple chances to take him. Instead, they wound up packaging the Nos. 34 and 36 picks (used on Rokas Jokubaitis and Miles McBride) in a trade to land Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (No. 32).
  • In an article for The Oklahoman, Mussatto details how rookie big man Jaylin Williams and the Thunder have perfected the art of drawing charges. The team has a league-leading 83 charges on the season, far exceeding the Heat’s 63, which ranks second. Williams is a ground-bound center, but he uses his game knowledge to protect the rim in a different way. “It stems from my dad,” he said, “just watching film with him from a young age, me understanding the game and understanding there’s more than basketball than putting the rock through the rim.”
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Northwest Notes: Nuggets, Caruso, Timberwolves, Williams

December 25th, 2022 at 1:34pm CST by Rory Maher

The Nuggets might to be turning a corner on the defensive end, writes Mike Singer of The Denver Post. Denver has won six of its past seven games to move to 20-11, and the team is 12th in defensive rating over that span, up from 23rd on the season, Singer notes.

As Singer details, the third quarter of Friday’s home win over Portland was a particularly impressive defensive stretch, with the Nuggets outscoring the Blazers 35-16. Michael Porter Jr., who made his return to the lineup after a 13-game absence with a left foot injury, played a big part in that effort, as did Jamal Murray, who sat out Tuesday’s game due to knee maintenance.

“When our defense turned up, the offense is great, but I just get so excited when I see five guys locked in, on a string,” head coach Michael Malone said, per Singer.

Porter described his injury as a form of plantar fasciitis, and he finished with 18 points and five rebounds in 27 minutes, Singer adds. Murray nearly notched a triple-double, recording 25 points, eight rebounds, 12 assists and a couple steals.

Here’s more from the Northwest:

  • In a subscriber-only story for The Denver Post, Singer says league-wide parity has contributed to a lack of sellers on the trade market thus far. The Bulls haven’t shown any interest in dealing away contributing players yet, but if that changes, Alex Caruso would be a nice bench upgrade for the Nuggets, according to Singer, who also thinks an upgrade over Zeke Nnaji and DeAndre Jordan at the backup five might be needed if Denver doesn’t trust either player for a postseason run.
  • Four Timberwolves role players — Jaden McDaniels, Naz Reid, Jaylen Nowell and Nathan Knight — have a special bond, and their camaraderie has helped the team during tense moments, per Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. “I want to see the whole team succeed. But those are guys that I’m very, very close with,” Nowell said. “They’re really like blood brothers. It hits a little different when you see your family being successful.” All four are at key junctures in their careers — McDaniels is eligible for a rookie scale extension in the summer, Reid and Nowell will be unrestricted free agents, and Knight is playing on a non-guaranteed deal.
  • Rookie big man Jaylin Williams, the 34th overall pick of June’s draft, sustained a concussion on Wednesday in a G League contest for the Oklahoma City Blue, the Thunder announced. The second-rounder is now in the league’s concussion protocol. Williams has only made seven NBA appearances thus far, averaging 3.0 PPG and 2.3 RPG in 8.7 minutes per contest, but he has been a regular with the Blue, the Thunder’s affiliate, averaging 14.1 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 5.3 APG and 1.4 SPG on .626/.364/.741 shooting in 11 games (30.6 MPG).
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Contract Details: Moneke, Ibaka, J. Williams, Gibson

July 19th, 2022 at 4:37pm CST by Luke Adams

Chima Moneke‘s new contract with the Kings is a two-year, minimum-salary deal that includes a partial guarantee in year one, Hoops Rumors has learned. Currently, only $250K of Moneke’s $1.02MM salary for 2022/23 is guaranteed, but that figure will increase to $500K if the forward isn’t waived before Sacramento’s first regular season game.

The second year of Moneke’s contract is non-guaranteed, but his 2023/24 salary would become partially guaranteed for $250K if he plays at least 1,000 minutes in ’22/23 and his team wins 41 games. Moneke’s full $1.72MM salary for ’23/24 would become guaranteed if he remains under contract through June 30, 2023.

Here are a few more details on recently signed NBA contracts:

  • Serge Ibaka‘s one-year contract with the Bucks is worth the veteran’s minimum, Hoops Rumors has learned. Milwaukee had Ibaka’s Early Bird rights and could have gone above the minimum, but will instead carry a cap hit of just $1,836,090 for the big man, who will earn $2,905,851.
  • Jaylin Williams‘ four-year contract with the Thunder is, as initially reported, worth approximately $8.2MM. Williams will earn fully guaranteed salaries of $2MM in each of the first two years of the deal. His minimum salaries for 2024/25 and ’25/26 are non-guaranteed, with a team option on the fourth year. Since Oklahoma City used the non-taxpayer mid-level exception to give Williams a four-year deal, the club will be hard-capped for the rest of the ’22/23 league year.
  • As anticipated, Taj Gibson‘s one-year, minimum-salary contract with the Wizards is fully guaranteed. Washington now has 15 guaranteed salaries on its books for 2022/23.
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Jaylin Williams Signs Four-Year Contract With Thunder

July 19th, 2022 at 2:51pm CST by Arthur Hill

JULY 19: The Thunder have officially signed Williams, the team announced today in a press release.

JULY 9: The Thunder have reached an agreement with second-round pick Jaylin Williams, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Williams’ new contract will be worth $8.2MM over four seasons, per Charania. The team will use part of its non-taxpayer mid-level exception to complete the signing.

Oklahoma City took the 20-year-old big man – not to be confused with Thunder first-rounder Jalen Williams – with the 34th pick in last month’s draft. He was among four draft-night selections for OKC and should compete for playing time in the front court.

Williams played two years at Arkansas and averaged 10.9 points and 9.8 rebounds per game as a sophomore. He was a first-team all-SEC selection by the coaches this season and earned a spot on the conference’s All-Defensive Team.

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