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Nets Notes: Johnson, Claxton, Giles, Simmons, Thomas

November 8th, 2023 at 2:48pm CST by Luke Adams

Nets wing Cameron Johnson, who has been sidelined since the team’s regular season opener due to a left leg injury, appears to be nearing a return. As Mark W. Sanchez of The New York Post writes, Johnson was listed as doubtful for Wednesday’s game vs. the Clippers, the first time he has been upgraded from “out.”

When word broke on October 30 that Johnson had been diagnosed with a strain in his left leg, the plan was for him to be reevaluated in 10 days. That evaluation is due to happen on Thursday, so Johnson’s return could follow shortly thereafter.

Here’s more on the Nets:

The Nets assigned Johnson, Nic Claxton, and Harry Giles to the G League for Wednesday’s practice with Long Island, tweets Brian Lewis of The New York Post. That bodes well for Johnson and for Claxton, who is also making his way back from an injury sustained on opening night (a left ankle sprain). Head coach Jacque Vaughn referred to the big man earlier this week as “day-to-day,” so it sounds as if he’s getting close to playing.
Following two injury-plagued seasons, Ben Simmons may be held out for one game of the Nets’ back-to-back sets for the foreseeable future, Lewis writes for The New York Post. “I don’t even know. That’s going to be on them,” Simmons said when asked if that’s the plan. “I believe so. Me, I feel good. I feel ready. I think they’re just being smart about it. So yeah.” While Wednesday’s game isn’t part of a back-to-back, Simmons is being listed as questionable due to left hip soreness.
Cam Thomas, Brooklyn’s leading scorer so far this season, spoke to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype about several topics, including his hot start, his efforts to improve as a defender, and how the perception of the Nets has changed since the departures of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. “I’d say with KD and Kyrie, we were more under a microscope, while this team is more under the radar,” Thomas said. “We’re coming up trying to prove people wrong and show that we’re really a good team and we can contend with anybody.”

Atlantic Notes: Batum, Claxton, Harden, Barrett

November 5th, 2023 at 8:42pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Nicolas Batum is expected to make his Sixers debut on Monday when they face the Wizards, Chris Hayes of TNT and Bleacher Report tweets.

Batum was included in the James Harden blockbuster. He’s been away from the Sixers for personal reasons but returned to Philadelphia over the weekend. Batum was a rotation player for the Clippers for three-plus seasons and averaged 18 minutes pere game this season before the deal.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

Nets center Nic Claxton suffered a high left ankle sprain in the regular season opener and admits he’s exasperated by the lingering injury, Brian Lewis of the New York Post writes. Claxton has shed a walking boot, but has yet to return to action. “It’s been frustrating, especially getting hurt the first game of the season, and even the way to the way I did it. But it’s coming along. I’m day-to-day now, just trying to keep myself in a good space, keep supporting my teammates,” he said. “After a couple days … I saw it was taking a little bit longer than I expected and everybody expected. Like I said, it’s frustrating but it’s an 82-game season, so what can you do? I’m not going to put myself in harm’s way. I’m just taking it day-by-day.”
Harden will make his Clippers debut against the Knicks and Jalen Brunson believes they could be an offensive juggernaut, Stefan Bondy of the New York Post relays. “Another weapon for them,” Brunson said. “They have a lot of great players over there. Really impressive résumés and all that stuff, and their careers have been nothing short of spectacular. So, it’s a lot of firepower. We’ve just gotta be ready to go.”
Knicks wing RJ Barrett has missed the last two games with knee soreness. Coach Tom Thibodeau indicated that Barrett could return on Monday. “He said he’s feeling a lot better,” Thibodeau said. Barrett is averaging 21 points this season.

Injury Notes: Zion, Ingram, Kyrie, Kleber, Nets

November 2nd, 2023 at 4:24pm CST by Rory Maher

While he technically isn’t injured, Pelicans forward Zion Williamson will miss Thursday’s game against Detroit — which is the second game of a back-to-back — due to rest, per Jim Eichenhofer of Pelicans.com.

Williamson, who missed the entire 2021/22 season with a foot injury and was limited to 29 games last season due to hamstring issues, is averaging 21.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 4.0 assists through four games (30.8 minutes) for the 3-1 Pelicans.

New Orleans’ other star forward, Brandon Ingram, is also on the injury report, having been listed as questionable with right knee tendinitis. Head coach Willie Green said Ingram underwent an MRI a few days ago, but there was no structural damage in his knee, according to Christian Clark of NOLA.com. The 26-year-old has missed the past two games and is considered day-to-day.

Here are a few more injury notes:

Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving, who has missed the past two games with a left foot sprain, is questionable for Friday’s matchup against Denver, tweets Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette. Big man Maxi Kleber (right small toe dislocation) is also questionable. In an interview with Grant Afseth of DallasBasketball.com, Irving recently discussed a number of topics, including his injury, the team’s 4-0 start, and more.
Nets center Nic Claxton has been ruled out of Friday’s matchup with Chicago as he continues to deal with a left ankle sprain, as Brian Lewis of The New York Post relays (via Twitter). On a more positive note, guards Spencer Dinwiddie (left ankle sprain) and Dennis Smith Jr. (left hip contusion) are listed as questionable — both players were sidelined for Wednesday’s victory in Miami.
Nets first-round pick Dariq Whitehead has progressed to 5-on-5 work with the team’s G League affiliate in Long Island, a person familiar with the matter tells Net Income of NetsDaily. Whitehead is recovering from offseason foot surgery and was playing 2-on-2 with teammates and coaches early last week.

Eastern Notes: Porzingis, Horford, P. Williams, Nets

October 31st, 2023 at 2:11pm CST by Luke Adams

Kristaps Porzingis‘ former Wizards teammates and head coach Wes Unseld Jr. had nothing but praise for the big man after facing him on Monday for the first time since his trade to the Celtics, per Jay King and Josh Robbins of The Athletic. Unseld referred to Porzingis as a “great human being,” Kyle Kuzma said he “left a lasting impact on me,” and Deni Avdija said “you’d love coming to work with him.”

That affection is mutual, according to Porzingis, who admitted on Monday that he didn’t enter the offseason expecting to leave D.C.

“I went into the summer thinking I would like to stay (in Washington) long term and that was my home, but in the NBA, everything changes so fast,” Porzingis said. “You can get traded at any time, and I could have gotten traded during the season. You never know. So it just happened this way and I couldn’t have asked for a better scenario during the summer, honestly. I miss that place, but they had a different route they wanted to go and I completely understand that.”

Although Porzingis may not have initially been eager to leave Washington, he has been a seamless fit so far in Boston, as King and Robbins outline. His ability to stretch the floor and to score in the low post has helped diversify the Celtics’ offense, and he provides added rim protection on the defensive end of the court.

“He just changes our late-game frequency,” head coach Joe Mazzulla said on Monday. “In New York (last Wednesday) we posted a little bit, and (in the) last game we were able to continue to play out of the post. And it forces teams to kind of match up with us a little bit more traditionally and it allows us to kind of get to our spots.”

Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:

Celtics big man Al Horford spoke to Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com about his new role coming off the bench, how much longer he may want to continue playing, and why he’s unlikely to go ring-chasing in free agency during his final years in the NBA.
Bulls forward Patrick Williams, who was the only starter with a negative plus/minus rating (-7) in Monday’s win over Indiana, needs to figure things out sooner rather than later, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. While developing the former lottery pick has been a priority in recent years, the Bulls are very much in win-now mode and Williams will be a free agent at season’s end, so the team can’t afford to be patient for much longer. “I don’t think there’s anything with Patrick that’s, ‘Hey just wait on me,'” head coach Billy Donovan said. “He wants to help the team, but he also knows he needs to figure it out on his end.”
Although there’s optimism in Brooklyn about a bounce-back season for Ben Simmons, the Nets still need to figure out how to maximize his abilities when he’s sharing the court with center Nic Claxton, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Head coach Jacque Vaughn believes lineups featuring Simmons and Claxton – who has been out since opening night due to an ankle injury – can make up for their lack of spacing by turning defensive stops into fast-break opportunities. “It’s staring us in the face that we are better at playing in transition and in full-court basketball than in the half court,” Vaughn said. “And the sooner we realize that as a group, the better off we’re going to be.”

Nets’ Cameron Johnson To Miss At Least 10 More Days

October 30th, 2023 at 11:00am CST by Arthur Hill

Nets forward Cameron Johnson will be reevaluated in 10 days after an MRI revealed he has a strain in his left leg, sources tell Brian Lewis of The New York Post (Twitter link).

Johnson was originally diagnosed with a left calf contusion after being injured on opening night. He missed the team’s second game and had been considered day-to-day. Brooklyn has a packed schedule with six games over the next 10 days, starting with tonight at Charlotte.

Johnson felt well enough on Sunday to take some shots during practice in Dallas, Lewis adds in a full story. Johnson dealt with a hamstring strain in training camp and sat out the entire preseason, so his only game action was 26 minutes in the season opener.

The news is more encouraging about center Nic Claxton, who didn’t wear his walking boot at this morning’s shootaround, Lewis tweets. Having sprained his left ankle in the opener, Claxton is considered day-to-day.

Nets Notes: Thomas, Johnson, Claxton, Finney-Smith, Dinwiddie

October 28th, 2023 at 6:24pm CST by Arthur Hill

Cam Thomas will become a fixture in the Nets‘ lineup if he keeps scoring the way he has in the season’s first two games, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Thomas poured in 36 points off the bench in Wednesday’s season opener and followed that with 30 more as a starter Friday night in Dallas.

Scoring outbursts are nothing new for Thomas, who had three straight 40-point games last season, but issues with defense and play-making have prevented him from earning a regular role in his first two years in the NBA. With Thomas coming off a strong training camp, his teammates are hoping to see him as a consistent member of the rotation.

“Need it,” Mikal Bridges said. “I mean, that’s his job: Come off the bench and bring instant offense. “Defensively, he’s been playing hard, being in the right spots, so that was a big thing for him to learn. But that’s what he’s supposed to do off the bench. He’s supposed to lead that bench in scoring and provide offense. … then teams over-help and find other guys. That’s what he’s supposed to do. He can score the hell out of the ball.”

There’s more on the Nets:

Brooklyn is hoping forward Cameron Johnson and center Nic Claxton, who are both considered day-to-day, can return for Monday’s game at Charlotte, Lewis states in another story for the Post. After sitting out the preseason with a hamstring injury, Johnson suffered a left calf contusion on opening night and didn’t play Friday. Claxton sprained his left ankle in the opener and missed Friday’s game in what coach Jacque Vaughn calls “a precaution.”
Friday marked the first return to Dallas for Dorian Finney-Smith and Spencer Dinwiddie, who were both shipped to Brooklyn in February in the Kyrie Irving trade, Lewis adds. “I’ve got a ton of love for Mavs, Mavs’ fan base, the team,” Dinwiddie said. “Shoot, I just congratulated Josh Green on his new deal, so a lot of those guys are still my friends.”
Hawks guard Patty Mills, who played for Nets teams that included Irving, Kevin Durant and James Harden, tells Kristian Winfield of The New York Daily News that off-court distractions ruined what could have been a title contender. “I think any place you go, the ideal scenario is it’s about basketball and you keep it about basketball, and you figure out how to move forward on the basketball court,” Mills said. “So when you look back at it there, there were definitely a lot of times where there were distractions that got the better of us and that definitely took a toll.”

Injury Notes: Garland, Allen, Claxton, Johnson, Martin

October 27th, 2023 at 6:44pm CST by Rory Maher

Cavaliers point guard Darius Garland will miss Friday’s home opener against Oklahoma City with a left hamstring strain, per Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff previously called Garland “very questionable,” tweets Thunder sideline reporter Nick Gallo.

According to Fedor, Garland didn’t participate in the team’s shootaround on Friday morning, and the Cavs decided to take a cautious approach with the 2021/22 All-Star.

Garland will be Cleveland’s second starter sitting out, as Jarrett Allen continues to deal with a left ankle bone bruise. The 25-year-old center is expected to miss Saturday’s back-to-back against Indiana as well, Fedor writes.

The Cavs are hopeful that Allen will make his 2023/24 season debut on Tuesday against the Knicks, sources tell Fedor. Isaac Okoro and Dean Wade, who missed Cleveland’s first game with an illness, will start in place of Garland and Allen.

Here are a few more injury notes:

Nets big man Nic Claxton has a left ankle sprain and is out for Friday’s game at Dallas, tweets Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Brooklyn’s starting center will be a free agent next summer — he’s on an expiring $9.6MM contract. According to Lewis (Twitter link), head coach Jacque Vaughn said Claxton is day-to-day.
Nets forward Cameron Johnson will also be in street clothes on Friday, having been downgraded from questionable to out with a left calf contusion (Twitter links via Lewis). Vaughn said the team is just being cautious with Johnson, who re-signed with Brooklyn on a four-year, $90MM+ contract this summer. It’s worth noting that Johnson missed all of training camp and preseason with a mild left hamstring strain, though he did start and play 26 minutes in Wednesday’s opener vs. Cleveland.
The Heat will be shorthanded again on Friday at Boston, with Caleb Martin (knee) the latest wing player sidelined (Twitter link via the team). Josh Richardson (foot) and Haywood Highsmith (knee) didn’t travel with Miami on its three-game road trip, as we previously relayed. On Tuesday, Martin said his knee still wasn’t 100%, calling the injury “a work in progress.” He played 20 minutes in Wednesday’s opener vs. Detroit.

New York Notes: Quickley, Knicks, DSJ, Bazley, Dinwiddie, Claxton

October 25th, 2023 at 12:26pm CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks had interest in signing Immanuel Quickley to a rookie scale extension prior to Monday’s deadline, but the two sides were too far apart to bridge the gap, according to Fred Katz of The Athletic.

An extension for Quickley would have made him more difficult to trade during the 2023/24 season due to the poison pill provision, but New York wasn’t worried about that, per Katz, since the team doesn’t anticipate any superstars will become available on the trade market before next summer. Presumably, the club would only consider including Quickley in a trade package for that caliber of player.

For his part, Quickley said on Tuesday that he has no concerns about playing out his contract year, and that he won’t let the business side of the game distract from his play on the court, per Stefan Bondy of The New York Post.

“Contract, no contract: I’m here for the season,” Quickley said. “I’m here for the team to try to be the best version that I can each and every day. To try to dominate. That’s why I’m here.”

Here’s more on the NBA’s two New York teams:

Amid the latest round of rumors linking the Knicks to high-profile potential trade targets, head coach Tom Thibodeau said on Tuesday that he’s happy with the group he has, according to Steve Popper of Newsday (subscription required). “That’s for you guys,” Thibodeau said of the trade speculation. “You know, it’s all rumors. That’s part of the NBA now. Obviously, we’re not dealing with any hypotheticals. We love the guys we have. Leon (Rose)‘s job is to survey the league, which he does. He and his staff are on top of everything. So if there’s something at the end of the day that can make the team better we’ll take a look at it. But if not, just keep going forward. We love the guys we have and just focus on our improvement and getting ready to play day by day.”
Nets guard Dennis Smith Jr., who was battling a sprained ankle in the preseason, has been removed from the team’s injury report and should be ready to go for its regular season opener on Wednesday, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post.
Although the Nets are one of two NBA teams with an open two-way slot, they won’t be able to use it to re-sign Darius Bazley, whose four years of NBA experience make him ineligible for a two-way contract, notes Lewis. “I do think Darius Bazley will have a place in this league,” head coach Jacque Vaughn said of the big man, who was in camp with Brooklyn until he was waived last Thursday. “I enjoyed coaching him. He’s still a young dude that can still play in this league and I was able to tell him that face-to-face.”
Speaking to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, Spencer Dinwiddie said his expectations this season for the Nets are to “make the playoffs and roll the dice from there and see how far we can take it.” Dinwiddie also expressed confidence in Ben Simmons‘ ability to have a bounce-back season and – perhaps most interestingly – weighed in on what Nic Claxton‘s contract as a 2024 free agent might look like. The Nets guard projected a four-year deal in the range of $70-110MM for Claxton.

Nets Notes: Johnson, Simmons, Claxton, Walker, DSJ

October 22nd, 2023 at 8:56am CST by Arthur Hill

Cameron Johnson was a full participant at Saturday’s practice and the Nets expect him to be ready for Wednesday’s season opener, according to Bridget Reilly of The New York Post. Johnson has been dealing with a strained hamstring since the start of training camp and didn’t play during the preseason.

“I think his progression to get to this point has been pretty methodical and our approach (was) getting him to feel comfortable when he’s back on the floor,” coach Jacque Vaughn said. “So he’s done the work behind the scenes, to be in a position to practice today and hopefully he continues to. … We got three more days to get some more comfort and being on the floor and being out there with a different group.”

Vaughn added that he’ll be “smart” with Johnson early in the season and will only use him in short stretches. Saturday marked the first full practice for Johnson, who called the injury a “random” event. He said he was able to play without experiencing any more problems with the hamstring.

“It felt good getting up and down,” he said. “I’ve been watching, observing, seeing what we’re trying to put in, how we’re trying to execute things offensively and defensively. And so being able to get in there and put that observation to practice was fun today.”

There’s more from Brooklyn:

Teammates continue to rave about Ben Simmons, who seems fully healthy and more aggressive in practice, Reilly writes in another Post story. Vaughn said he isn’t concerned about playing Simmons and Nic Claxton at the same time, even though it means having two non-shooters on the court.“I’ve told this group we have to stop and we can’t look at it as a negative … if we have an open mind. In today’s game, with the five out, we can play five out still with those guys,” Vaughn said. “You saw the other night we had Nic Claxton in the corner. He’s more comfortable playing in the corner than he was a year ago. That’s a weapon for us. We get (Simmons) to play in the pocket. Those two can play together.”
Lonnie Walker‘s injured wrist is feeling better as opening night approaches, Reilly states in the same piece. The free agent addition is hoping to find ways to contribute in a reserve role. “As far as I know it’s on the more so end of just bringing energy onto that second unit whether it’s running, defensive aggressiveness, rebounding, transition,” he said. “Just doing what I know I can do. Just play by my strengths.”
Dennis Smith Jr. still wasn’t able to practice Saturday after hurting his ankle last week, Reilly adds, but Vaughn isn’t counting him out for Wednesday night.

Atlantic Notes: Achiuwa, Raptors, Claxton, Thomas, Knicks

October 6th, 2023 at 7:10pm CST by Rory Maher

Raptors big man Precious Achiuwa suffered a left groin strain in training camp and will miss Sunday’s preseason opener, per the team (Twitter link via Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca). The 24-year-old will be reevaluated next week.

We’ll have to wait for more information on the severity of the injury, but it’s a disappointing development for Achiuwa, who is eligible for a rookie scale extension until October 23.

The forward/center averaged 9.2 PPG and 6.0 RPG on .485/.269/.702 shooting in 55 games (20.7 MPG) in 2022/23. Hopefully the groin strain is minor and doesn’t negatively impact his fourth season.

Here’s more from the Atlantic:

The Raptors‘ success — both now and going forward — depends on the development of Scottie Barnes and his relationship with new head coach Darko Rajakovic, according to Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca. Rajakovic said Toronto is going to lean into Barnes’ play-making ability, but the team knows he needs to improve in other areas as well. As Grange writes, the two have clicked since they first met. “I feel like we’re gonna be on a long ride together,” Barnes said of Rajakovic. “We’re going to make amazing things happen.”
Nets center Nic Claxton, who is on an expiring $9.6MM contract, is embracing high expectations following a breakout fourth season, writes Dan Martin of The New York Post. Claxton averaged career highs in virtually every statistical category in 2022/23 and has put on muscle for ’23/24. “We have a lot of guys here that if we win collectively, they have things that they can prove,” Spencer Dinwiddie said Thursday. “The thing I’d love to see most is Nic get his $100 million (contract), because I’ve seen him come in the league.”
While Claxton is looking to improve upon his already-strong performance from last season for the Nets, the fate of third-year guard Cam Thomas is much less certain, per NetsDaily.com. Head coach Jacque Vaughn says the team won’t be relying on isolation scoring this season, which is Thomas’ greatest strength. “He does have a skill of being able to play isolation basketball and get a bucket. That’s proven,” said Vaughn. “I don’t think we can play isolation basketball and win basketball games on a consistent basis. I think this team is built around the versatility and the depth of the team, and we’ll have to use all that, while also agreeing and notifying the rest of the group that there are some individuals who (are) going to have the basketball in their hands and they have a talent. (Thomas) has a talent that’s going to be used on both ends of the floor, and that’s what he’s going to be asked of.”
The Knicks improved their depth by trading for Josh Hart last season (he signed an extension this offseason after picking up his player option) and signing Donte DiVincenzo in free agency. However, as Fred Katz writes for The Athletic, there are only so many minutes to go around. How Hart, DiVincenzo, RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley and Quentin Grimes perform defensively might determine who among that group will be closing on a given night, according to Katz.