LeBron James

Southeast Notes: Black, James, Avdija, Gallinari

November 6th, 2023 at 7:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Anthony Black made his first career start against the Lakers on Saturday in place of injured Markelle Fultz and the rookie Magic guard left a strong impression, Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel writes.

Black, the sixth pick of the June draft, contributed 11 points and two assists and didn’t make a turnover in 30 minutes.

“He embraces moments, he’s got a high-basketball IQ, he’s tough and he’s a team guy,” head coach Jamahl Mosley said. “He’s willing to make the easy play, the easy pass and the right decisions. Those are things that stand out the most and his maturity for a young man in his rookie year.”

We have more from the Southeast Division:

LeBron James, whose Lakers played against Miami on Monday, spoke at length about his time with the Heat. James indicated he had a singular purpose when he bolted his hometown team to play there, according to Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. “I came here for one reason and for one reason only, to win championships. That was my only goal,” he said. “That’s the only reason that I teamed up with (Dwyane Wade) and (Chris) Bosh. Because I felt like I couldn’t do it in Cleveland. So I had an opportunity to be a free agent, I did what I thought was best not only for my career but for me at that point in time.”
Wizards forward Deni Avdija, who signed a four-year extension last month, has displayed an improved perimeter shot in the early going. He has made half of his 3-point attempts so far this season, Josh Robbins of The Athletic notes. “I’m making better decisions. I’m smarter,” Avdija said. “I’m more experienced. And I feel like my shot has really improved. It’s still early in the season — I want to knock on wood — but it’s heading in the right direction. I feel like I’m making really good steps.”
Avdija drew comparisons to current teammate Danilo Gallinari entering the 2020 draft. Coach Wes Unseld Jr. says that comparison doesn’t hold up. “I would not have compared those two coming out of the draft… Maybe it’s more just the path to the NBA is in sync,” Unseld told Chase Hughes of Monumental Sports Network. “Playing professionally at a young age, getting drafted, coming to the States. That path I think is probably where it ends.”

Pacific Notes: Durant, Beal, Booker, James, Mann, Thompson, Kuminga

October 30th, 2023 at 10:51pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Many NBA fans are eager to see how Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal and Devin Booker will mesh during the regular season. However, the wait for the Suns’ big three will continue through Tuesday. Booker (ankle) is doubtful and Beal (back) is out for Phoenix’s game against San Antonio on Tuesday, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic tweets.

We have more from the Pacific Division:

On the same topic, Durant told Mark Medina of Sportskeeda.com that he’s not fretting over the team’s health issues now or in the long run. “I don’t look at that stuff like that,” he said. “I know people have those concerns. But I just think that is just people hoping, to be honest, that we don’t finish the season. Every team can say, ‘Shouldn’t you be worried about injuries?’ Every team can say that.”
LeBron James popped up on the Lakers’ injury report prior to their game against Orlando, Jovan Buha of The Athletic tweets. His issue was left ankle tendonitis. James was a game-time decision but was good to go.
Clippers guard Terance Mann (sprained ankle) has shed his walking boot but didn’t practice on Monday, Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times tweets. Mann has yet to make his season debut.
Klay Thompson (knee soreness) and Jonathan Kuminga (knee contusion) didn’t play for the Warriors against New Orleans on Monday, Anthony Slater of The Athletic tweets.

Pacific Notes: Paul, Ham, LeBron, Morris

October 30th, 2023 at 10:01am CST by Arthur Hill

Chris Paul came off the bench for the first time in his career Sunday night, and it looks like an arrangement that’s going to be successful for the Warriors, writes Anthony Slater of The Athletic.

Paul became an immediate starter when he entered the league with New Orleans in 2005, but the possibility of being shifted to a reserve emerged when he was traded to a Golden State team that already had Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson in its backcourt. Paul started the season’s first two games with Draymond Green injured, but moved into his new role when Green returned on Sunday.

“It works,” Paul told reporters after the game. “It gives us a bigger lineup. I’ve never been on a team probably with this type of depth. I’ve been on really good teams, don’t get it twisted. But not necessarily where you could say: ‘All these guys can start.’ And I think last year that was the best starting five in the league.”

The Warriors are coming off a season that was disrupted by players who were unhappy about their minutes and changes to their roles, so Steve Kerr sought to get control of the situation right away, Slater adds. Prior to training camp, he called in Paul, Green, Curry, Thompson, Andrew Wiggins and Kevon Looney for a meeting where they discussed what to do about essentially having six starters.

Although it was decided that starting roles would be influenced by matchups, Kerr seems happy with Paul as the leader of the second unit and it appears that will continue as long as everyone stays healthy. Green is excited about the edge that brings to the team.

“When you’re talking about replacing Steph Curry with Chris Paul, it doesn’t get much better than that,” he said. “You’re taking your starting point guard out and the next point guard is Chris Paul? That’s incredible. We will have that advantage all year.”

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

Lakers coach Darvin Ham said he needs to “tighten up” his rotation after Sunday’s loss in Sacramento, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN. Ham has been trying to acclimate Gabe Vincent, who missed much of the preseason with tightness in his lower back, while also dealing with the loss of Jarred Vanderbilt, who is sidelined with bursitis in his left heel. “My rotation, we got to really dig into that,” Ham said. “Really take a close look and so guys are in rhythm. We have a great collection of players. And I played in this league. When you know when you’re going in and who you’re playing with, that matters. So buckling down on our rotation, I’ll start there.”
The minutes reduction that Ham planned for LeBron James hasn’t lasted past the season opener, McMenamin adds. James logged 39 minutes in Sunday’s contest, which was the first game of a back-to-back. “Obviously, I don’t want to run Bron into the ground,” Ham said. “I don’t want to run (Anthony Davis) into the ground too early. Obviously, it was an overtime game tonight and they’re playing at a high level, so you want to leave them out there. But just having that balance.”
Clippers forward Marcus Morris missed his third straight game Sunday, with “coach’s decision” being the explanation, tweets Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times. However, coach Tyronn Lue said Morris is “very involved, and he’s been great, especially with our young guys.”

L.A. Notes: Brogdon, Clippers, Westbrook, Wood, LeBron

October 27th, 2023 at 11:36am CST by Luke Adams

Veteran guard Malcolm Brogdon was preparing in June to join the Clippers before three-team trade talks also involving the Celtics and Wizards fell apart. Now a member of the Trail Blazers, Brogdon tells Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints that he preparing for a move to Los Angeles again this fall when Portland was shopping Jrue Holiday after acquiring Holiday from Milwaukee.

“Once Jrue was traded from Milwaukee, I knew Boston had a lot of interest in him and I figured Boston would have a good run at getting him because I was a guy that they were open to trading,” Brogdon said. “… I was preparing myself for both [the Blazers and Clippers] because I thought I might be in Portland and I thought I might be flipped straight to L.A. So I didn’t know, but I was preparing myself.”

The Trail Blazers ended up hanging onto Brogdon, stressing that his veteran leadership will be welcomed in a young locker room, and as part of a young backcourt. However, there’s no guarantee that he’ll finish the season in Portland. For his part, the guard tells Azarly that he’ll remain prepared for any scenario.

“For me, it’s all about me staying sharp,” Brogdon said. “It’s less about the scenario or the situation of the teams.”

Here’s more on the NBA’s two Los Angeles teams:

While the Clippers have been linked for months to James Harden, do they already have the right play-making guard on their roster in Russell Westbrook? Janis Carr of The Orange County Register (subscriber link) and Dylan Hernandez of The Los Angeles Times explore that topic, with Hernandez noting that head coach Tyronn Lue said Westbrook has “bought in 100%” to what the team needs from him.
Christian Wood‘s limitations as a defender were considered one key reason why he was unable to land more than a minimum-salary deal as a free agent this offseason, but the Lakers big man impressed the team in his second game on Thursday with the defense he played against Kevin Durant and the Suns, writes Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times. “I thought he did about as good as anyone can do,” Ham said of Wood, who grabbed 10 rebounds and was a plus-23 in 21 minutes. “He made a commitment to me when we signed him that that is a part of his game that he wants to get better at. And with his length, his agility, he’s able to contest at a high rate.”
The Lakers showed in their second game of the season that they’re viewing their 28-to-30-minute plan for LeBron James as more of a loose guideline than a hard cap, as ESPN’s Dave McMenamin and Jovan Buha of The Athletic detail. James played the entire fourth quarter and 35 minutes in total on Thursday to help the club secure a win over Phoenix. “I understand that we definitely have a system put in place, but tonight called for me to go outside the box,” he said after the victory.

Pacific Notes: George, Kawhi, Durant, LeBron, Huerter

October 25th, 2023 at 3:59pm CST by Luke Adams

As he enters his age-33 season, Clippers forward Paul George is thinking about the legacy he’ll leave behind when his NBA career is over, writes Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times. And George isn’t happy that he has no championship hardware to show for his four years in Los Angeles (or his nine NBA seasons before that), as injuries have repeatedly sidelined him and fellow star Kawhi Leonard.

“My legacy here is just haven’t been able to finish,” George said. “I think in a lot of ways, injury-prone, inability to finish. So can’t even say that — like, I never go into a summer like, ‘Hey, what do I need to work on to get better, what do I need to’ … I got to just try to find a way to stay healthy.”

The Clippers appear to approaching the 2023/24 season with a heightened sense of urgency. Head coach Tyronn Lue talked prior to training camp about a need to take the regular season more seriously and not just be looking ahead to the playoffs. And with both George and Leonard healthy entering the season for the first time in three years, the rest of the team has noticed a shift in the group’s collective mindset, Greif observes.

“Night-and-day different, just in terms of intensity at training camp,” Clippers guard Norman Powell said.

Here’s more from out of the Pacific:

Leonard, who underwent surgery on his torn ACL in July of 2021, spoke repeatedly last year about the idea that the injury requires a two-year recovery period to get back to full strength. The Clippers forward reiterated that point on Tuesday, confirming he feels as good now as he has since injuring his knee in 2021. “I feel good and I’m ready to go,” Leonard said, per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. “… Talking to guys [who suffered ACL injuries] and seeing when they do start feeling good or just trusting your knee, it’s just something that you feel and I mean one day just turns around for you.”
Suns forward Kevin Durant tells Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports that it was “good to have stability” this summer after a tumultuous final year in Brooklyn. Durant also admitted that he’s starting to think about what his life will look like after he retires from the NBA, though he added that he wants to play for “as long as I can.”
While much has been made over the years of LeBron James‘ desire to play with son Bronny James before he retires from the NBA, a new Beats by Dre commercial voiced by LeBron’s wife Savannah references the Lakers star’s desire to play with son Bryce James as well, notes ESPN’s Dave McMenamin (Twitter link). Bryce, 16, is three years younger than Bronny.
Kings head coach Mike Brown flirted during the preseason with the idea of having Chris Duarte replace Kevin Huerter in the team’s starting five, but Huerter will be the starter at shooting guard to open the season, Brown confirmed on Tuesday (Twitter link via James Ham of The Kings Beat).

Lakers Plan To Reduce LeBron James’ Workload

October 25th, 2023 at 10:42am CST by Luke Adams

Lakers star LeBron James played just 29 minutes in the team’s season-opening loss in Denver on Tuesday night, and that relatively modest workload will be a consistent theme for the 38-year-old going forward, head coach Darvin Ham told reporters, including ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.

Ham said the plan for the start of the season is to keep James in the range of 28-to-30 minutes per game. He acknowledged that, with input from the team’s trainers and medical staffers, that number could fluctuate as the season progresses, but stressed that managing LeBron’s minutes will be a priority.

“It’s easy with him to get caught up in the emotion of the game and you tend to forget you want to play these long stretches, but in order for him to be as effective as possible, we have to be mindful of the minute output and how long his stretches are,” Ham said.

James said after the game that he’s confident he’ll still be able to make an impact in the minutes he does play and indicated that he’s on board with the team’s plan for him, adding that he wasn’t “surprised or upset” by his playing time on Tuesday.

“Listen, I mean, I always want to be on the floor. Especially when you got an opportunity to win a game or you feel like you can make an impact,” James said. “But this is the system in place and I’m going to follow it.”

LeBron averaged 37.2 minutes per game in 2021/22 and 35.5 MPG in ’22/23, but missed at least 26 games in both seasons due to injuries. It sounds like the goal this year will be to bring down his minutes per game while increasing the number of contests he’s available for.

While it’s certainly not the reason for the move, it’s worth noting that end-of-season awards like All-NBA now have a 65-game minimum requirement — if those rules had been in place in the past, James wouldn’t have been eligible to make an All-NBA team since 2019/20.

James has logged 38.1 minutes per night over the course of 1,422 career regular season games, never averaging fewer than 33.4 MPG in a season (2020/21).

Lakers Notes: LeBron, Prince, Vanderbilt, Vincent, Hayes

October 21st, 2023 at 7:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

Explaining that he’s “self-motivated,” LeBron James said he’s not driven by a need to beat the Nuggets, who ended the Lakers‘ playoff run last spring and will be the opponent when the season tips off Tuesday, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN.

Although James downplayed the rivalry, he’s clearly aware of some of the disrespect that came his way from Denver. Nuggets coach Michael Malone was introduced as “the Lakers’ daddy” during the team’s championship celebration, and in an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show, Malone mocked James’ talk of retirement after the playoff series ended.

“There will be a time,” James said about a potential response. “When that time is, I don’t know. I don’t know if it’s now or … there will be a time. There will be a time when everybody will get it, for sure.”

Heading into his 21st NBA season, James is optimistic about his health after missing 27 games last year with a right foot injury that bothered him throughout the playoffs. He said he’s fully recovered and ready for the challenges of a new campaign.

“It took a few months, but then when I was able to get back into my workouts, I was able to do some things I wasn’t capable of doing throughout the whole playoffs, probably even before the playoffs,” James said. “My workouts started getting better, my wind started getting better, my quick-twitch started getting better. I didn’t have to think about it as much. It’s great to have that feeling, just have your motor back.”

There’s more on the Lakers:

Head coach Darvin Ham told reporters today that Taurean Prince will be the team’s fifth starter for the season opener alongside James, Anthony Davis, Austin Reaves and D’Angelo Russell, McMenamin adds. The veteran forward, who signed with L.A. as a free agent this summer, was used as a starter for most of the preseason. Prince will replace Jarred Vanderbilt, who had his sore left heel re-evaluated on Friday. Ham said Vanderbilt is considered day-to-day, but “in all likelihood” will miss Tuesday’s game.
Gabe Vincent, who has been dealing with back tightness, has been cleared to play in the opener, tweets Jovan Buha of The Athletic.
Free agent addition Jaxson Hayes made a case for regular playing time with a strong performance in the preseason, per Khobi Price of The Orange County Register. “He was phenomenal,” Davis said. “Catching in the pocket and making the right plays, finishing, protecting the rim, everything that we want out of him and more. Hustling. Things that can (be) better. But for the most part, he was phenomenal.”

L.A. Notes: Clippers, Harden, Martin, LeBron, Reaves

October 10th, 2023 at 9:02am CST by Luke Adams

The Clippers have offered the Sixers a package consisting of a first-round pick, a pick swap, and expiring contracts for James Harden, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said on NBA Countdown (YouTube video link).

While Los Angeles isn’t inclined to increase that offer and bid against itself, the team is open to exploring the market to see if it can acquire a different piece for that first-rounder that might appeal more to Philadelphia, per Wojnarowski.

“Daryl Morey‘s looking at the Clippers and saying, ‘Steve Ballmer‘s never been under .500. They will figure out a way to have a competitive team. That may not be a great pick,'” Woj explained. “And so I think for the Clippers right now, it’s, ‘We’re not trying to offer you more. We’re not giving you that 2030 first-round pick. But let’s see what we can turn that 2028 pick (into), see if we can flip it,’ and then see if there’s something that more interests Daryl Morey.

“That being said, there’s no traction, they’re not close to anything.”

As we wait to see if the Clippers can pull off a trade for Harden, here are a few more notes on the NBA’s two Los Angeles teams:

New Clippers wing Kenyon Martin Jr. is bringing athleticism and versatility to a veteran roster, writes Janis Carr of The Orange County Register. Head coach Tyronn Lue, who praised Martin’s passing and his ability to push the ball up the floor, suggested the team will find different ways to get its offseason acquisition on the court. “I see him as a basketball player at the three, four, five, wherever we can use him,” Lue said. “Just his athleticism, being able to switch, being able to guard different positions, being able to roll to the basket, run the floor.”
Asked by Arash Markazi of The Messenger (Twitter video link) why he has focused on eventually owing an NBA franchise in Las Vegas rather than anywhere else, Lakers star LeBron James said it “just makes sense” to have a team in the city. “You have the Raiders here, you have the (Golden) Knights here, you have the Aces here, you’ve got F1 coming very soon, All-Star Weekend has been here a few times, you’ve got the NBA Summer League that’s very popular,” James said. “… I think adding an NBA franchise here would just add to the momentum that’s going on in this town. … I think it’s only a matter of time. And I hope I’m part of that time.”
Steve Kerr was very impressed with Austin Reaves after coaching the Lakers guard this summer with Team USA, tweets Jovan Buha of The Athletic. “Way better to coach him than coach against him,” Kerr said. “I loved coaching him. … He’s really emerging as one of the better young guys in the league.”

Pacific Notes: Batum, LeBron, Hachimura, Christie, Warriors

October 6th, 2023 at 12:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Rumors that Nicolas Batum may be entering his final NBA season swirled in August following a series of tweets from his wife, Aurelie. She clarified in those tweets that her husband hasn’t formally decided to retire following the 2023/24 season and that his future beyond his current contract is still up in the air. This week at training camp, the Clippers forward confirmed that message, as Janis Carr of The Orange County Register writes.

“I think I’ve done a lot in the NBA,” Batum said. “I’m trying to focus on this season. We’ll see what happens after this season. Maybe I’m going to stay, maybe not. I don’t know yet.

“… (I’m) thinking about what I’ve got left. All I’m thinking right now is I’m just ready for this year. … I’m really excited for this year and what’s ahead for this franchise, that’s for sure.”

Batum averaged 21.9 minutes per night in 78 appearances for the Clippers last season, his most games played in a season since 2013/14. The veteran anticipates having a rotation role again this season and indicated a willingness to play as much as head coach Tyronn Lue wants to use him, even though he’ll turn 35 in December.

“A bunch of guys want to get like minutes, and they don’t get it. I’m playing, so I’m not complaining about it,” Batum said. “You can’t be tired and complain because you play too much when guys only want opportunities to play.”

Here are a few more notes from around the Pacific:

No player was around LeBron James this offseason more than Rui Hachimura, according to LeBron, who has taken his Lakers teammate under his wing this offseason in the hopes of unlocking his full potential, writes Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times. James, the NBA’s oldest player, will sit out the team’s preseason opener on Saturday as the club manages his minutes, though he still plans to see plenty of action during the preseason, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN.
Lakers guard Max Christie, who was expected to be given a chance to prove in training camp that he deserves a rotation spot, appears to be taking advantage of that opportunity, earning praise this week from coach Darvin Ham and his teammates, according to Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times. “Max Christie is a dog! … His game surprised me a lot,” big man Jaxson Hayes said of Christie. “I already knew he was a good player, but he can really go.”
Warriors wing Klay Thompson said on Thursday that he’s up to the challenge of defending some power forwards this season and will do whatever’s asked of him (Twitter video link via Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area). Head coach Steve Kerr spoke about that plan earlier in the week.
Stephen Curry said he played a lot of pickup ball with new Warriors teammate Chris Paul this summer and believes the fit on offense will be “seamless” (Twitter video link via Anthony Slater of The Athletic). The goal will be making sure the pairing works on defense as well.

Lakers Notes: Hood-Schifino, LeBron, Davis, Storylines

October 5th, 2023 at 7:59am CST by Luke Adams

A 20-year-old rookie on a deep, experienced team, Jalen Hood-Schifino likely won’t have a major role in his first NBA season, but multiple Lakers players pointed to this year’s No. 17 overall pick earlier this week when asked who stood out most at the club’s first practice, writes Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times.

“I will give you one actually,” veteran point guard D’Angelo Russell said when asked about early camp standouts. “Jalen played really well today. Competitive. Made shots. Got after it.”

“Jalen looked really good today for his first day,” Austin Reaves said of the rookie. “So, super excited just to see what (he does).”

With Russell and Reaves penciled in to start, Gabe Vincent expected to play a major role, and Max Christie on track to get rotation minutes, it’s hard to see a clear path to regular playing time for Hood-Schifino in the backcourt as long as everyone is healthy. However, a strong showing in camp and the preseason could make the Lakers think twice about where he ends up on the depth chart.

Here’s more on the Lakers:

LeBron James was slowed in the spring by a foot injury that sapped him of some of his athleticism and explosiveness, but that hasn’t been an issue so far in camp, per Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times. Teammate Jarred Vanderbilt said that James has been “a freight train,” while head coach Darvin Ham confirmed the foot injury is no longer affecting the four-time MVP, who isn’t looking like the NBA’s oldest player. “He’s 100% healthy,” Ham said. “He looks fine. He looks like third- or fourth-year LeBron.”
The Lakers view the trash talk aimed at them by the Nuggets following Denver’s win over L.A. in last season’s Western Conference Finals as “motivational,” according to Anthony Davis, who said the team is looking forward to its regular season opener in Denver on October 24. “There was just so much of that going on it was like, ‘All right, we get it, y’all won,'” Davis said, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “But me and Bron had some conversations like, ‘We can’t wait (to play them again).”
Dylan Hernandez of The Los Angeles Times has noticed a change in Davis’ demeanor this fall, writing that the star big man appears more focused, determined, and vocal as a leader. “I think I’m going to be the second-oldest guy here now, so guys lean on me a lot, especially the bigs,” Davis said. “I feel like it’s my responsibility, being one of the leaders on the team alongside Bron.”
Jovan Buha of The Athletic identifies 10 of the most important Lakers storylines to follow this season, including Russell’s future with the organization, whether Christie can make a leap, how the team will handle its stars’ workloads, and how frequently the coaching staff will use two-big lineups.

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