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Olympics Notes: Team USA’s Near Upset, Ivey, South Sudan, Embiid

July 20th, 2024 at 10:53pm CST by Arthur Hill

It was only an exhibition game, but South Sudan had an opportunity to pull off the greatest upset in international basketball history Saturday in London, writes Brian Windhorst of ESPN. Team USA needed a driving layup by LeBron James with eight seconds remaining and a crucial defensive stop to escape with a 101-100 victory.

It marked the first real taste of adversity for a U.S. team that’s heavily favored to win the gold medal in France. South Sudan built its lead as high as 16 points as the Americans’ offense looked badly out of sync for most of the first half.

“I did not do a great job preparing our team, I think we did not focus enough on what they’re capable of and that’s on me,” head coach Steve Kerr said.“They played a wonderful game and the ending was good for us just to feel that. To feel what it’s going to be like in Paris and Lille. … A good reminder that when we play against teams, it’s the biggest game of their lives and we have to expect everyone to play like that.”

Kerr shook things up by using a completely different lineup to start the second half. That sparked a comeback that featured a 23-5 run covering the late third and early fourth quarters, but South Sudan still grabbed a late lead on a three-pointer by JT Thor that set up James’ heroics.

“I think the whole team was embarrassed at halftime to be totally outplayed and down 14,” Kerr said. “And I don’t think [James] was real thrilled about me not starting him in the third quarter. But I thought that next group that we put out there really did a good job defensively. And I looked down a couple of times and I can see LeBron chomping at the bit to be out on the floor as soon as he got out there and he went to work, so he was brilliant.”

There’s more Olympics news to pass along:

  • Rockets assistant Royal Ivey, who serves as head coach for South Sudan, believes the experience will help his team in the Olympics even though it didn’t quite get the victory, Windhorst adds. In addition to Thor, South Sudan was led by 2022/23 G League Player of the Year Carlik Jones, who posted a triple-double with 15 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists, and Marial Shayok, a second-round pick by the Sixers in 2019, who had 24 points. “We want to take the momentum, the mindset, the tenaciousness that we had [to the Olympics],” Ivey said. “We didn’t flinch.”
  • South Sudan is already a remarkable story by reaching the Olympics in only its 13th year as a nation, notes Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle. Former NBA star Luol Deng, who serves as president of the country’s basketball federation, personally funded the program and picked Ivey to serve as head coach in 2021. The Bright Stars qualified for the Olympics with their performance in last year’s FIBA World Cup.
  • In an episode of The Interview podcast, Joel Embiid explained that his decision to join Team USA was influenced by pressure from France (hat tip to HoopsHype). “It didn’t help that, you know, France that put an ultimatum on, you know, when the decision had to be made,” Embiid said.
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Hornets Decline Team Option For JT Thor

June 28th, 2024 at 5:02pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Hornets have declined their team option for 2024/25 on forward JT Thor, the team announced (Twitter link). The option would have been worth $1,988,598.

Thor, the 37th overall pick in the 2021 draft, is eligible to receive a qualifying offer since he has just three years of NBA experience, but the Hornets indicated that he’ll become an unrestricted free agent.

Still only 21 years old, Thor never emerged as a reliable rotation piece in Charlotte through the first three seasons of his career. He appeared in 69 games and made eight starts in 2022/23 but averaged just 14.0 minutes, 3.8 points, and 2.2 rebounds per contest. One of the more productive stretches of Thor’s career came in the final 12 games of the ’22/23 season, when he averaged 9.6 PPG and 3.9 RPG while making 40.0% of his threes.

Thor played one collegiate season at Auburn, showing impressive instincts on both sides of the ball that saw him gradually climb up 2021 draft boards.

In all, Thor averaged 3.2 PPG and 2.1 RPG in 165 appearances with the Hornets.

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International Notes: Slovenia, Doncic, Croatia, South Sudan, Siulepa

June 5th, 2024 at 12:39pm CST by Luke Adams

The Slovenian national team has officially announced the 16 players who will make up its preliminary roster for the Olympic qualifying tournament in Greece next month (Twitter link). While the 16-man group features currently Nuggets forward Vlatko Cancar and a couple other players with prior NBA experience (Zoran Dragic and Mike Tobey), the headliner is Mavericks guard Luka Doncic.

Slovenia obviously hopes that Doncic will be available to help the team try to claim one of the final four Olympic berths this summer, and the Mavs star said on Wednesday that he wants to do so, despite battling knee issues this spring, as Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press tweets. Doncic still has one more series to get through, so his availability in Greece will presumably hinge on how he’s feeling at the conclusion of the NBA Finals.

Here’s more from around the international basketball world:

  • Croatia, which will be in Slovenia’s group at the qualifying tournament in Greece, has also announced a preliminary roster for that event. Warriors forward Dario Saric and Clippers center Ivica Zubac are among the 17 players who are candidates to make up the 12-man roster, while former NBA wing Mario Hezonja is one of the other notable names in that group.
  • South Sudan, which has already qualified for the Olympics based on its results at last year’s World Cup, revealed a 25-man preliminary roster for Paris (Twitter link). Some of the biggest names in the mix for roster spots include Bol Bol, Wenyen Gabriel, Thon Maker, JT Thor, and World Cup star Carlik Jones.
  • Seventeen-year-old Australian prospect Roman Siulepa is signing with the Tasmania JackJumpers as part of the National Basketball League’s Next Stars program, he tells Jonathan Givony of ESPN. Givony identifies Siulepa as one of the most promising international prospects in his age group, noting that the 6’7″ small forward has averaged 21.0 points and 10.7 rebounds per game in the second division of Australia’s NBL this season.
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Southeast Notes: Bridges, Thor, Rollins, Hampton

October 13th, 2023 at 8:41pm CST by Rory Maher

Miles Bridges turned himself in on Friday on the January arrest warrant that had yet to be served, reports Steve Reed of The Associated Press. The 25-year-old appeared before a district court judge in Lincoln County (a Charlotte suburb) and was released on $1,000 bond.

Bridges, who was with the Hornets in Washington D.C. on Thursday night, turned himself in early Friday morning, Reed writes.

The Hornets forward is accused of “unlawfully” and “knowingly” violating a 10-year domestic violence protective order that stems from a case last year in which he entered a plea of no contest to one felony count of injuring a child’s parent. The warrant also states that Bridges “continually contacted the victim,” according to Reed.

The separate criminal summons Bridges is facing for allegedly violating the protective order, misdemeanor child abuse and injury to personal property is still outstanding; the 25-year-old is due in court for that matter on November 13.

Here’s more from the Southeast:

  • Hornets forward JT Thor, whose $1.84MM contract for 2023/24 is non-guaranteed, had a strong summer and could be primed for a breakout year, according to Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer. “He’s been amazing,” Terry Rozier said. “It’s no surprise, but it’s been talked about among all the peers about how great he’s been and how much time he’s put in this summer. And it’s just good to see. He’s one of the guys that never complained and always trying to get better since he came in the league. He never complained about things, always took things as a challenge and got better every day. And it’s now starting to show. And that’s all you can ask for in this league, is you try to get as much as you can out of it and then when your time comes you are ready for the opportunity. And I think it’s going to be a good year for him.” Thor was the 37th overall pick in 2021.
  • Wizards head coach Wes Unseld Jr. thinks second-year guard Ryan Rollins has “elite” defensive potential, per Chase Hughes of Monumental Sports Network. Rollins, a 2022 second-rounder who was traded to Washington from Golden State this summer, concurs with Unseld’s assessment. “I appreciate that,” he said. “I feel the same way. I’ve got a very long wingspan and I love to play defense. You put the mentality with the physical attributes that I have, I mean, why not?“
  • Guard RJ Hampton, who is on a two-way deal with the Heat, sustained a right hamstring strain during warmups on Friday evening and was ruled out prior to Miami’s preseason game against San Antonio, tweets Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. We’ll have to wait for more updates on the severity of the injury.
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Southeast Notes: Kuzma, Fultz, Lowry, Thor

January 20th, 2023 at 10:52pm CST by Rory Maher

Kyle Kuzma has been a hot name on the trade market, though the latest reports have indicated that the Wizards would prefer to keep him through the deadline in an attempt to re-sign him in free agency. The 27-year-old forward says he loves playing with Kristaps Porzingis and Bradley Beal, and that will factor into his decision this summer.

“It plays into it a lot,” Kuzma told Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter video link). “I love playing with those guys. I see how easy it is for me, but this is something I’m not really thinking about right now. I’m so far away from it.”

Here’s more from the Southeast:

  • Markelle Fultz has made a major impact on the defensive end since he made his season debut at the end of November, writes Khobi Price of The Orlando Sentinel (subscriber link). “Just playing hard man,” he said. “Just giving all my effort while I’m on the court. Whether that’s ball pressure or trying to dive on the floor for a loose ball, I’m just trying to find any little way to give our team an advantage.” Fultz is averaging a career-high 1.7 steals per contest, per Price, who notes that the 24-year-old doesn’t gamble much while playing disruptive defense. The Magic have gone 12-12 in games Fultz has played and 5-16 without him.
  • Heat point guard Kyle Lowry recently returned from a four-game absence due to knee soreness. He says it’s been bothering him for a while, but hopes resting it resolved the issue, according to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. “It was good to just get myself right,” said Lowry. “My knee has been a little bit bothering me for a while. So it was good to get back. …I feel good. I feel pretty good right now and hopefully it doesn’t re-occur, and we just kind of build on that. You keep the body right and keep the mind sharp.”
  • Hornets coach Steve Clifford is a fan of JT Thor‘s team-first mentality and defense, but he admits his rotations have the second-year forward in an unenviable position, as Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer relays. “The guy to be honest with you, who to a certain degree is getting screwed, is JT Thor,” Clifford said. “I’m subbing him in a way — and he knows it and his teammates know it — just so we can keep more balanced lineups on the floor. He’s playing four minutes sometimes, three minutes sometimes. You can’t possibly be productive offensively with those minutes. He gets the minutes, but the way they are broken up, there’s no way. When I told him that, he said, ‘Hey, I know this isn’t about me.’ So, that’s why he has a chance to be a good player.”
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Hornets Notes: Bouknight, Jones, Thor, Bridges, Hayward

October 2nd, 2022 at 3:00pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Second-year Hornets players James Bouknight, Kai Jones and JT Thor are hoping to enjoy more responsibilities with Charlotte this season, per Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer. Boone notes that this triumvirate of reserves needs to be prepared when new (returning) head coach Steve Clifford calls their number.

“We’ve talked about the potential of the team,” Jones said. “The biggest thing for us is always just being workers. We talk about that all the time, getting your extra in, coming in whenever you can — early morning, late at night — to be the player that you can be. Fulfill your potential.”

Bouknight reflected on the areas of his game he has been building out during the offseason.

“Just working over the summer on making the right reads on the weak side, passing the ball, playing with my size, playing on the defensive end,” he said. “I just think I’m capable of doing everything on the court, honestly.” 

There’s more out of Charlotte:

  • The future of current Hornets forward Miles Bridges, Charlotte’s leading scorer in 2021/22, remains up in the air. The preliminary hearing in Los Angeles for his three domestic violence felony charges has been pushed back for a fourth time, from September 16 to October 7, according to Michael Gordon and Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer. Bridges pleaded not guilty to all three charges in July. He remains a restricted free agent.
  • Oft-injured Hornets forward Gordon Hayward is missing today’s preseason opener after he “banged his knee” in a team practice, per Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer (Twitter link). “He wants to play,” head coach Steve Clifford said. “He’s actually a little upset about it, but it doesn’t make any sense to me and it doesn’t make any sense to [team trainer] Joe [Sharpe].”
  • In case you missed it, Luke Adams penned a Community Shootaround piece about some of the big questions surrounding the Hornets heading into the 2022/23 season. Weigh in with your thoughts!
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Southeast Notes: Butler, Thor, Magic, Dinwiddie

August 9th, 2021 at 8:19pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

After finalizing his new four-year, maximum contract extension over the weekend, All-NBA Heat swingman Jimmy Butler spoke about why he wanted to commit to Miami long-term, according to Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald.

“They allow me to be me here, love who I am as a person and player,” Butler said of the Heat organization. “Love the guys I have an opportunity to hoop with. I think we’ll be a really good team. We’re consistently getting better, adding the right amount of vets to get over the hump and win a championship. It means everything to me to represent this great organization.”

Butler, who turns 32 in September, said that he wants to finish his career in Miami.

“It’s a place for me,” Butler said. “Teammates allow me to be me. When I’m wrong, they’re going to tell me I’m wrong. When I’m right they still probably tell me I’m wrong. I love them for that. Blessing to play with these guys and [head coach Erik Spoelstra] and [team president] Pat Riley.”

A four-time All-NBA selection, five-time All-Star, and five-time All-Defensive Team member while with the Bulls, Timberwolves and Heat (he did not earn any of these honors with his other NBA team, the Sixers), Butler showed no signs of slowing down during the 2020/21 regular season. He averaged 21.5 PPG on 49.7% shooting from the field and 86.3% from the free-throw line, as well as career-best averages of 7.1 APG, 6.9 RPG, and 2.1 SPG.

There’s more out of the Southeast Division:

  • Hornets rookie power forward JT Thor was signed to a four-year deal, with the first two seasons guaranteed, using some of Charlotte’s cap space, reports Bobby Marks of ESPN (Instagram video link). The 18-year-old big man was selected with the No. 37 pick out of Auburn in this year’s draft.
  • The young core of the rebuilding Magic – including rookie lottery picks Jalen Suggs and Franz Wagner, along with second-year point guard Cole Anthony – is exhibiting encouraging signs of development during NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, writes Dan Savage of Magic.com. “It’s about them developing camaraderie, and their ability to just tie together and move forward growing together,” new head coach Jamahl Mosley said of the Summer League squad. “Just continuing to build off each other and for each other.”
  • After having waived shooting guard Dwayne Bacon this weekend, the Magic project to have an open 15th roster spot, Josh Robbins of The Athletic tweets. Robbins anticipates Orlando will probably leave this final roster spot available in case an opportunity arises for the team to take on an unwanted contract – along with a draft pick – into its sizable trade exception.
  • New Wizards starting point guard Spencer Dinwiddie has several intriguing incentives in his three-year, $62MM deal with Washington, as Michael Scotto of HoopsHype details (Twitter link). Dinwiddie will earn a $1.5MM bonus if he plays in 50+ games, $100K if the Wizards win a first-round playoff series, $571K should the Wizards make the Eastern Conference Finals, and $400K if the Wizards qualify for the NBA Finals. As Bobby Marks of ESPN (Instagram video link) first reported, Dinwiddie would net a scant $1 bonus for winning the NBA Finals. Marks added in the same video that the partial guarantee on Dinwiddie’s 2023/24 salary will become fully guaranteed if he plays in 50+ games during the 2022/23 season.
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Rookie JT Thor Signs With Hornets

August 6th, 2021 at 1:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Hornets have signed second-round draft pick JT Thor, according to a team press release.

Thor, a 6’9” forward, was officially acquired from the Pistons along with center Mason Plumlee on Friday in exchange for the draft rights of Balsa Koprivica.

[RELATED: 2021 NBA Draft Pick Signings]

Terms of the contract are undisclosed, but the club is under the cap and has the ability to give him a starting salary worth more than the rookie minimum and/or a contract that covers more than two years.

Thor, the 37th overall pick, averaged 9.4 PPG, 5.0 RPG and 1.4 BPG in his lone season with the Tigers. Thor projects to spend most of his rookie season in the G League.

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Pistons Trade Mason Plumlee To Hornets

August 6th, 2021 at 12:11pm CST by Luke Adams

AUGUST 6: The trade is now official, according to press releases from both the Hornets and Pistons. Charlotte received Plumlee and the rights to No. 37 pick JT Thor in exchange for the rights to No. 57 pick Balsa Koprivica.

JULY 29: The Pistons and Hornets are finalizing a trade that would see Mason Plumlee sent to Charlotte along with the No. 37 pick in tonight’s draft in exchange for the No. 57 pick, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).

The Hornets had been expected to be one of the NBA’s most aggressive teams in pursuit of a center this offseason and will get an early start on addressing that position by acquiring Plumlee, who averaged 10.4 PPG, 9.3 RPG, and 3.6 APG in 56 games (26.8 MPG) during his first and only season as a Piston.

Plumlee had been set to earn $8.1MM in 2021/22 and will receive a 10% trade bonus as a result of the deal, bumping up that cap hit by $830K, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks.

Even at close to $9MM, Plumlee’s deal isn’t particularly onerous, especially since it’s only partially guaranteed in 2022/23. So it’s somewhat surprising that the Pistons were willing to drop down 20 spots in the draft to move off of it, especially since GM Troy Weaver just signed Plumlee to that deal last offseason.

Still, Detroit will gain cap flexibility as a result of the trade and could open up about $20MM in space rather than operating over the cap this summer, tweets Nate Duncan. The move will also create additional playing time for promising young big man Isaiah Stewart.

The deal will have to be completed once the new league year begins, when the Hornets can take Plumlee into their cap space. They’ll still have about $13MM in projected cap room, according to Marks, so they could pursue another center in free agency.

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Western Notes: Culver, Mann, Grizzlies, Pelicans, Nuggets

July 27th, 2021 at 5:05pm CST by Eli Cohen

It’s possible that Timberwolves third-year wing Jarrett Culver could be available this offseason for a second-round pick, according to a tweet from Darren Wolfson of SKOR North.

Not only has Culver had trouble carving out a role for himself with the Timberwolves, but between last year’s No. 1 pick Anthony Edwards and Malik Beasley, who was signed to a four-year deal last summer, there’s little room on the wing for the 22-year-old to get developmental reps.

The Wolves are only two years removed from trading Dario Saric and the No. 11 pick to Phoenix in order draft Culver with the sixth overall pick, so the idea that they may be willing to settle for a second-round pick is discouraging. But it doesn’t take long for a prospect’s value to decline if he isn’t taking positive strides forward — even if he was a lottery pick.

We have more news from around the Western Conference:

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

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