Thunder Notes: SGA, J-Dub, Mitchell, Wallace, More
After largely struggling in the first six games of the Western Conference finals, back-to-back MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was excellent for the Thunder in Saturday’s Game 7 loss to San Antonio, finishing with 35 points (on 12-of-21 shooting), nine assists, four rebounds, three steals and one block in a game-high 43 minutes.
“He was brilliant,” head coach Mark Daigneault said, per Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman (subscriber link). “… Obviously that would’ve been one of the stories of the game had we been able to figure out a way to win it.”
The 27-year-old guard credited the Spurs after the game, as Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press relays.
“Yeah, they’re young, they’re talented, well-coached,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Play the right way, play together, seems like they like each other. They have the makeup, for sure. You don’t beat us without the makeup and they beat us. They have the makeup to go get one.”
Gilgeous-Alexander, who acknowledged the roster might look different next season due to the ever-changing nature of the NBA, said he won’t be involved in any personnel moves.
“I will give zero input. I will let Sam Presti, the greatest GM ever, do his job,” he said (Twitter video link via Michael Scotto of HoopsHype).
Here’s more on the Thunder:
- As Tim MacMahon of ESPN writes, the Thunder refused to use injuries an excuse after the loss even though they weren’t at full strength; Jalen Williams (hamstring) and Ajay Mitchell (calf strain) were both sidelined for most of the series. Alex Caruso noted that injuries are part of any playoff run and Oklahoma City was fortunate last year but “unlucky” in 2025/26 in that regard. Still, several members of the Thunder felt as though they still could’ve come out on top. “To be a 64-win team, have the net rating we did, overcome some of the adversities we did in the season, is something we’re incredibly proud of,” Daigneault said. “It’s something we can build on. When you have a team that’s together for a long time, you have to grow from every experience, including the tough ones. And it’s the NBA — there are tough ones. And we can also be really disappointed. We felt like we could have won the series, obviously, right there in the game and in the series. There’s nobody that we don’t think we can beat, respectfully.”
- Daigneault admitted on Sunday that the absences of Williams and Mitchell lowered the Thunder’s ceiling but said he’s looking forward to a having Williams healthy again in 2026/27 after he was plagued by various injuries over the past year-plus, according to Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic (Twitter video link). “Missing (Williams) impacts your ceiling. Missing Ajay Mitchell impacts your ceiling. But we’ve been able to maintain a really high floor. I’m proud of that,” Daigneault said. “That’s a huge accomplishment for the season, and it will pay dividends moving forward and will pay dividends for us this year. … I’m excited about a healthy Jalen Williams. I’m excited about a healthy team and what that can look like moving forward. So that becomes the priority especially with him. It was a tough year for him, and we need to do everything we can to get him in full form, and he does too.”
- Williams believes he would’ve made a difference in the series had he been healthy, tweets Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman. “I don’t do the hypothetical thing too much because it does not solve anything that’s going on right now,” Williams said. “But to humor your question, obviously I think I could have made an impact. I think we could have won if I played. We went to seven with them without me playing. I don’t think I make us worse. That’s really my answer to that. It’s also hats off to (San Antonio). What do you want them to do about me being hurt? … We’ll just have to wait until we meet again at some point.”
- Gilgeous-Alexander referred to ’25/26 as a failure on Sunday since he and the team were unable to win their second straight championship, writes Anthony Slater of ESPN. “I failed at my goal,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “I didn’t achieve what I wanted to achieve. But I learn the most about myself and make the greatest amount of increases in my career when I fail and don’t get what I want. I look at this no different. I didn’t get where I wanted to go this season. There’s a reason for that. Now I have to look at that reason and try to make sure it never happens again.”
- Cason Wallace, who made a number of huge plays in the fourth quarter to keep the Thunder in Game 7, is extension-eligible beginning this offseason and said he loves being part of the team, but it sounds like he’ll leave any contract negotiations to his agent, according to Rylan Stiles of SI.com (Twitter link). “Love the Thunder. But you know I’m more focused on getting better this summer and being able to go out there and compete next season,” said the former lottery pick, who was named to the All-Defensive Second Team in ’25/26.
Thunder Notes: Williams, McCain, Bench, Presti
The Thunder are heading into San Antonio with a tied series and a question mark hanging over their All-NBA wing, Jalen Williams, who is currently listed as day-to-day with a left hamstring injury and is questionable to play on Friday.
Whether Williams returns for Game 3 or misses the rest of the series, the Thunder should still feel good about their chances to beat the Spurs and advance to the NBA Finals, Joe Mussatto writes for The Oklahoman. That’s partly because of the injuries facing the Spurs’ backcourt, as both De’Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper are questionable for Game 3. It’s also because the Thunder are, by now, experienced in winning without Williams.
“Obviously if we don’t have him it hurts,” Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said. “I still believe in this team, though. Like you said, we played a bunch of games without him, won big games without him, but I still think we can get the job done. But yeah, losing a guy like that, a caliber of player like that, no matter how good your team is otherwise, it hurts a little bit. And also for him as a human being. He had a tough year with injuries.”
While Williams is a more accomplished, experienced player than Harper, Mussatto posits that in this particular matchup, Harper might be more important to the Spurs’ game plan than Williams is to the Thunder’s, especially if Fox remains out.
We have more notes from the Thunder:
- While Jared McCain is known for his three-point shooting, as well as his TikTok dances, he knows that to play in this hard-fought series, he will need to tap into a more gritty skill set. “Anything I can do. Shot’s not falling, I want to stay on the court no matter what,” he said, per Jordan Davis of The Oklahoman (video link). “So if I can make some hustle plays, get some rebounds, anything I can to stay in the floor I wanna do.” McCain contributed four offensive rebounds, three assists, and two steals in his 26 minutes during Game 2, bringing a level of hustle that seemed to help energize the team even though he shot just 4-of-14 from the field.
- McCain isn’t the only Thunder reserve who understands what it will take to earn minutes at the highest level. The Thunder’s bench is deep with players who stay ready for their number to be called, Justin Martinez writes for The Oklahoman. That includes Cason Wallace, Ajay Mitchell, and Alex Caruso, the last of whom has been integral to the team’s success so far this season. “I think it’s just a team that, one through 15, everyone is always ready,” Mitchell said. “Everyone really buys into it. I feel like every time we put someone in, he’s going to have an impact, which is huge.” Caruso, who has two championships to his name and is looking for a third, said that having that mindset is a prerequisite for achieving what the team hopes to achieve. “It’s that time of year,” he said. “If you’re not fearless, then you’re probably gonna lose and go home. You’ve got to lay it all out on the line if you want to win. If you want to win big, at least. If you want to win the last game of the season, which I do. Every time that I’m here, I want to win the last one. For me, it’s pretty easy to get myself going and lock into that mentality.”
- When general manager Sam Presti recruited Isaiah Hartenstein as a free agent, there was little in the way of flash, despite the fact that he would eventually offer the German center the largest free agent contract in Thunder history. Instead, Presti focused on what really mattered to him: the team identity he had spent years building. “I can’t promise you minutes,” Presti told Hartenstein, per ESPN’s Tim MacMahon. “I can’t promise you a role. But I can promise you a culture.” After losing to the Mavericks in the second round of the 2024 playoffs, Presti didn’t panic or go star-hunting. Instead, he focused on bringing in the kinds of players who would enhance the stars already on the roster: Hartenstein, for one. Caruso, for another. It’s a decision that has been felt and appreciated throughout the organization. “Sam has passed on talents to get human beings,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “That mindset has really helped this group. It’s a big reason why we all get along so well and have this chemistry that everyone talks about. Sam brings a certain type of person in here.” Those two players proved crucial in Oklahoma City’s first title run last season, and have been equally critical this postseason, as they’ve hit timely shots, played physical defense against the likes of Victor Wembanyama, and made the hustle plays that set the Thunder’s hard-nosed defense apart.
Celtics’ Brad Stevens Named Executive Of The Year
For the second time in three years, Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens has been named the NBA’s Executive of the Year, the league announced today (Twitter link).
Stevens, who also earned the honor in 2024, is the 12th individual to win multiple Executive of the Year awards, according to the NBA.
The 2025/26 season was widely expected to be a “gap year” for the Celtics, who were determined to shed salary after operating above the second tax apron and lost star forward Jayson Tatum to an Achilles tear during the 2025 playoffs. Stevens made a series of cost-cutting moves last offseason, trading away Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis and allowing Luke Kornet and Al Horford to walk in free agency.
However, with Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and Payton Pritchard leading the way and modestly paid contributors such as Neemias Queta, Sam Hauser, and Jordan Walsh playing key rotation roles, the Celtics remained competitive both before and after Tatum’s eventual return in March. The team won 56 regular season games despite the fact that Stevens completed another series of financially motivated transactions at the trade deadline to get Boston’s team salary below the luxury tax line.
Unlike most of the NBA’s major end-of-season awards, Executive of the Year is voted on by the league’s general managers rather than by media members.
Stevens received 11 of 28 possible first-place votes from his fellow executives and finished with 69 total points. That was enough to beat out runner-up Onsi Saleh — the Hawks general manager actually showed up on the same number of ballots as Stevens (17), but earned primarily second-place (10) and third-place (6) votes and finished with 41 points.
Trajan Langdon of the Pistons (six first-place votes, 40 points), Jeff Peterson of the Hornets (five first-place votes, 37 points), and Sam Presti of the Thunder (three first-place votes, 25 points) rounded out the top five finishers, while Brian Wright of the Spurs earned the remaining two first-place votes.
Six other executives showed up on at least one ballot. The full voting results can be viewed right here (via Twitter).
Mavericks Targeting Big Names In Front Office Search
Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont has some big names on his wish list as the team seeks a new head of basketball operations, according to reports from Chris Mannix of SI.com and Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link).
Mannix and Stein both identify Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens and Thunder executive VP of basketball operations Sam Presti as targets for Dallas, while Mannix also mentions Cavaliers general manager Koby Altman and Stein adds Spurs CEO R.C. Buford to the list.
However, Mannix describes some of those options as “fanciful,” while Stein agrees, suggesting the Mavericks know they probably don’t have a realistic shot at executives like Stevens and Presti, who have recently won championships with their respective teams. Still, those names reflect Dumont’s “lofty ambitions,” Stein writes, explaining that the Mavs governor wants to do his due diligence on some of the NBA’s top front office executives in case one might be attainable.
Another possible target cited by both Mannix and Stein is Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly. Some rival teams believe Connelly might leave his current position after this season, and Dallas hired former Wolves executive Ethan Casson as their president on the business side, according to Stein, though he adds that Minnesota appears motivated to work out a new deal to retain Connelly.
The target most frequently linked to the Mavericks by Stein’s sources is former Warriors general manager Bob Myers. But Myers accepted an “extremely lucrative” job last fall with Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, the group that owns the Sixers, and his responsibilities in that position span multiple sports. It remains to be seen whether he’d leave that role to return to an NBA front office, so he should probably be considered a long shot for the Mavs as well, Stein says.
Here’s more on the Mavs’ front office search:
- Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd had some conversations about transitioning to a front office role, sources tell Mannix. But both he and Stein hear that Kidd is much more likely to remain in his current position and partner with a new general manager.
- A number of “top aides to lead decision-makers” around the NBA have expressed back-channel interest in the Mavericks’ job, Stein reports. Even though the team has begun doing its homework on potential candidates, the search isn’t expected to begin “in earnest” until the regular season wraps up, Stein continues, adding that current co-interim GMs Matt Riccardi and Michael Finley are still considered candidates for the full-time job.
- Following up on his recent note about the Mavs not hiring a firm to guide their front office search, Stein says Dumont is considered the “point person” in the process.
- Speaking on Tuesday to a group of reporters, Mavs CEO Rick Welts had the following to say about the front office search, per Stein: “There is no specific set of characteristics. I can tell you there is a variety of candidates who present a variety of different personalities … different track records. It’s the most important decision that the organization is going to make for the coming seasons. So we are going to take our time and get it right.”
Western Notes: Monk, Ellis, Brooks, Nuggets, Jokic, Mitchell
Kings guard Malik Monk was a DNP-CD for the first time since the 2022/23 season on Thursday, not getting off the bench at all during the team’s 134-133 overtime loss in Portland. Explaining the decision after the game, head coach Doug Christie described Monk as the “odd man out” in the backcourt rotation as he sought to give Keon Ellis a larger role for defensive purposes.
“We were going with defense, but it’s a logjam,” Christie said, per Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. “We’ve got a lot of guards, so whenever it was Keon being the odd man out, then it was Keon being out. Tonight, we were playing Keon, so Malik was out.”
With the Kings off to a 6-21 start this season, Christie acknowledged that he’s still searching for answers and is willing to experiment with the rotation in the hopes of turning things around. He also made it clear that “nothing is permanent,” though he added that he liked what he saw from Ellis, who played a season-high 32 minutes vs. Portland.
“We’ll give Keon a run and allow him to continue to develop with those guys,” Christie said. “He came in off the bench, I thought, and played fantastic with that bench unit. They did a really good job in the third quarter. It just kind of got away from us. We got stalled out a little bit, but they came back with the starters and Keon was a part of that group. … I thought those guys did a great job.”
We have more from around the Western Conference:
- The NBA has rescinded the technical foul assessed to Suns forward Dillon Brooks in the second quarter of Thursday’s game vs. Golden State, the league announced (Twitter link). Brooks appeared to get the technical for something he said after making a layup and stumbling to the floor (video link via NBA.com). He’s still the league leader with eight technicals this season.
- The Nuggets aren’t especially well positioned to be aggressive at this season’s trade deadline, writes Bennett Durando of The Denver Post (subscription required). Denver is hovering right around the luxury tax line, has few tradable draft picks, and lacks an obvious salary-matching candidate making mid-level money or more. Zeke Nnaji ($8.2MM) is the most expendable of the Nuggets’ players earning more than $5MM, but his contract – which has two more years left on it after this season – would have negative value.
- Nuggets star Nikola Jokic passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on Thursday for the most career assists by an NBA center, Durando writes in another Denver Post story. Abdul-Jabbar compiled 5,660 assists across 20 NBA seasons; Jokic surpassed him in his 11th season, at age 30. “This is a time that I can be able to look back and appreciate all the years I’ve had to play this game with him,” teammate Jamal Murray said of Jokic. “It’s special. Passing Kareem in anything is pretty cool. So I think it just speaks to his greatness and how unselfish he is.”
- Thunder wing Ajay Mitchell spoke to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints about the experience of winning a championship as an NBA rookie, whether he has thought about vying for the Most Improved Player award, and why he views the toe injury that cost him three months last season as a positive. “I know it sounds crazy, but this was my first major injury ever, and looking back on everything we went through, it made me realize how special being a part of this organization truly is,” Mitchell said, explaining that general manager Sam Presti was with him “every step of the way before and after surgery.”
And-Ones: Front Offices, I. Mobley, NBA Europe, Quaintance
The Thunder are coming off a championship and are just the third team in NBA history to open a season with at least 23 wins in their first 24 games, so it comes as no surprise that general manager Sam Presti came out on top in The Athletic’s annual poll on the league’s best front offices.
A group of The Athletic’s NBA writers asked 36 executives around the NBA to rank their top five front offices, and Oklahoma City received an overwhelming 31 first-place votes.
The rest of the top five wasn’t simply made up of the teams at the top of the NBA’s standings. Brad Stevens and the Celtics placed second, followed by Rafael Stone and the Rockets at No. 3, Pat Riley and the Heat fourth, and Kevin Pritchard and the Pacers rounding out the top five. Each of those front offices received at least one first-place vote.
The Cavaliers, Timberwolves, Knicks, Spurs, and Warriors finished in the top 10, with another 15 teams cited at least once, either as a top-five front office or as a group considered to be “on the rise” and earning an honorable mention. According to The Athletic, the five clubs not to be mentioned at all were the Mavericks, Kings, Pelicans, Suns, and Bulls.
Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Isaiah Mobley, the older brother of reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley, is in the process of finalizing an agreement with Hapoel Jerusalem, sources tell Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com (Twitter link). Mobley, a 2022 second-round pick who spent parts of three seasons in the NBA with Cleveland and Philadelphia from 2022-25, has been playing this fall with Manisa Basket in Turkey.
- The fall of 2027 continues to be viewed as a “realistic target” for the launch of the NBA’s European league, according to FIBA secretary general Andreas Zagklis. Joe Vardon of The Athletic passes along some of the other comments Zagklis made about the prospective league during a news conference on Tuesday, including the fact that the goal is to give more teams across Europe a pathway to qualifying for the NBA’s league than can currently qualify for the EuroLeague.
- Kentucky’s Jayden Quaintance has cracked the top five in the latest 2026 NBA mock draft from Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report, behind the usual suspects at the top. The 6’10” sophomore forward is making his way back from an ACL tear he sustained while playing for Arizona State last season.
Northwest Notes: J. Williams, Presti, Wolves, C. Williams
In Wednesday’s pregame press conference, Thunder coach Mark Daigneault offered an update on Jalen Williams‘ progress as he recovers from wrist surgery, writes Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman. There’s still no timetable for Williams to resume playing, but Daigneault said he’s maintaining a positive attitude while working his way through rehab.
“Day-to-day, and he’s doing a great job,” Daigneault said. “There’s so much invisible work that goes into a return to play that you guys don’t get the opportunity to see and we don’t even get the opportunity to see.”
Oklahoma City has remained on top of the league without Williams, carrying a 17-1 record into tonight’s game against Minnesota. The fourth-year forward was a third-team All-NBA and second-team All-Defensive selection last season, but he’s ineligible for any postseason honors this year because he has already missed too many games.
Daigneault said he got a first-hand look at Williams’ rehab efforts when he arrived at the practice facility at 8:15 am Wednesday and saw the 24-year-old doing physical therapy work in preparation for an on-court workout.
“That’s the work you have to put in day after day without the immediate carrot of playing when you’re going through a rehab,” Daigneault added. “But that’s why having guys with the maturity that we have is so important. (Thomas) Sorber has done a great job with that. (Nikola) Topic has done a great job with that. Chet (Holmgren) has done it a couple of different times. (Williams) is doing it just the way we want him to do it.”
There’s more from the Northwest Division:
- Thunder general manager Sam Presti took inspiration from Pulitzer Prize-winning author Robert Caro in building a championship roster, according to Baxter Holmes of ESPN. Caro has written numerous historical works, including an in-depth profile of Lyndon Johnson’s time in the U.S. Senate. “One of my favorite authors, Robert Caro, has a great saying about research, where he says, ‘You have to turn every single page,’ and I really like that relative to what it is that we have to do in order to discover the team,” Presti said. “We have to really understand and go through every iteration to ensure that we’re not shutting off potential pathways that could really help us or get us to another level, whether it’s now or in the future. … I think by turning every page, you give yourself every opportunity.”
- After letting games slip away against Sacramento and Phoenix, Timberwolves guard Mike Conley led a team dinner Tuesday night where several issues were discussed, per Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter link). Julius Randle described the gathering as “not optional.”
- The Jazz have sent 2024 first-round pick Cody Williams to the G League, the team’s Salt Lake City affiliate announced (via Twitter). Williams’ playing time has been declining lately — he logged just three minutes in Sunday’s game and was a DNP-CD on Monday.
Northwest Notes: Bailey, Blazers, Thunder, Nuggets
Jazz rookie Ace Bailey has decided to part ways with manager Omar Cooper and is seeking new representation, reports Tony Jones of The Athletic. League sources tell Jones that Bailey and his camp have interviewed potential reps but haven’t yet made a decision on who they’ll hire.
Cooper made waves during the pre-draft process by discouraging Bailey from visiting with or working out for any teams with picks in the top five. The widespread belief, as Jones writes, was that Cooper was trying to steer his client to the Wizards at No. 6, but Utah ultimately drafted him one spot before that.
Cooper is the father of guard Sharife Cooper, who signed a two-way contract with Washington last week.
Here are a few more items of interest form around the Northwest:
- RAJ Sports, a company run by the Bhatal family that reportedly made a bid to buy the Trail Blazers, has filed a lawsuit against the Cherng family, which joined Tom Dundon‘s prospective Blazers ownership group earlier this month. Jason Quick and Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic have the details on the suit, which was first reported by Law360.com. RAJ Sports is claiming that the Cherngs – who own Panda Express – breached an exclusivity agreement and has asked a judge to stop them from buying a stake in the Blazers.
- Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman passes along some highlights from Sam Presti‘s preseason press conference following a Thunder offseason highlighted by continuity. Presti preached patience when it comes to Nikola Topic‘s integration into the rotation, expressed confidence that Chet Holmgren will “only be better,” and said rookie big man Thomas Sorber was “playing great” before suffering a season-ending ACL tear. “It’s a really tough situation, but he’s got the right mindset. He’s got great natural energy,” Presti said of the 15th overall pick. “He’s going to get something out of this year, 100 percent, and I think it’ll position him well going into next season. But it’s certainly disappointing.”
- Bennett Durando of The Denver Post (subscription required) explores what the Nuggets‘ depth chart might look like in 2025/26. While the starters – Jamal Murray, Christian Braun, Cameron Johnson, Aaron Gordon, and Nikola Jokic – seem pretty clear, there could be some spots up for grabs on the second unit, including at point guard, where Bruce Brown projects to be Murray’s backup, and at the forward spots.
- The Oklahoma City Blue and Grand Rapids Gold – the Thunder‘s and Nuggets‘ G League affiliates, respectively – completed a trade sending the returning rights to Justyn Hamilton to the Gold in exchange for the returning rights to Andrew Funk and a 2026 second-round pick, tweets Rylan Stiles of SI.com. The deal could be a precursor to Hamilton signing an Exhibit 10 contract with Denver and/or Funk signing one with Oklahoma City.
And-Ones: Kokoskov, Luxury Tax Payments, 2026 Mock, Injuries, NBA TV
Hawks assistant Igor Kokoskov is leaving his position to become head coach of Turkish League team Anadolu Efes, according to Eurohoops.net. Kokoskov has signed a three-year contract.
Kokoskov has been an assistant in the NBA for 19 years, along with a stint as the head coach of the Suns during the 2018/19 season. He was also a head coach in the EuroLeague with Fenerbahce during the 2020/21 season.
Here’s more from around the international basketball world:
- How much did NBA teams who stayed below the luxury tax get rewarded for keeping their salaries below the line? Non-tax teams collected $11,530,235 from the taxpaying clubs, Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report tweets.
- Is it too early to talk about the 2026 draft class? Not for draft experts like The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie. He’s posted his first 2026 mock with Kansas guard Darryn Peterson, Duke forward Cameron Boozer and BYU wing A.J. Dybantsa occupying the top three spots.
- Thunder executive Sam Presti believes there’s a direct correlation between the number of games played and injuries. Presti mentioned the NBA’s 65-game rule to qualify for certain awards, the condensed schedule due to the in-season tournament and the recent uptick in physicality allowed by the league, according to an ESPN story.“I think the one thing we have to do is get away from the defensive nature of trying to convince people, players and teams that there’s no connection between the loads and the injuries,” Presti said. “I think it’s — we’re kind of bordering on a level of like, it’s almost insulting.”
- TNT Sports will cease production efforts on NBA TV at the end of the league’s calendar year in September, according to the Sports Business Journal’s Austin Karp. The league will begin operating the network starting Oct. 1. It will continue to carry some regular-season games during the 2025/26 season, plus WNBA, G League and other games from international leagues. One key element is that there will be far fewer live games on NBA TV once the new media-rights deal kicks in this fall with ESPN/ABC, NBC Sports and Prime Video, Karp adds.
Northwest Notes: Yang, Randle, Presti, Bailey
Yang Hansen had to watch the draft from the stands rather than the arena floor like other top prospects, but the Trail Blazers have no doubt that he’s worthy of being a first-round pick, writes Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian (subscriber link). American fans may not be familiar with Yang, but he’s a star in his native China, where he has drawn comparisons to Yao Ming and Nikola Jokic. Portland made him the focus of its draft plans and was able to land him while trading down five spots.
“I think that ‘Baby Joker’ or being compared to Yao, is a big honor,” Yang said. “I just try to learn from everyone, every good player and improve myself every day.”
Fentress points out that Yang has a valuable Blazers connection in teammate Duop Reath, who played for the Qingdao Eagles of the Chinese Basketball Association in 2022/23, one year before Yang joined the team. Reath is one of several players Yang will compete with for minutes in Portland’s deep front court rotation, but coach Chauncey Billups expects him to be able to earn playing time.
“Learn our game, learn our system, offensively and defensively, learning the language,” Billups said. “There’s so much development that needs to happen. But I will feel very comfortable putting him in the game right now. He’s that good. To me, it’s not like a project-type situation. This guy’s ready to go. But he’s in a crowded room.”
There’s more from the Northwest Division:
- The Timberwolves are trying to work out a long-term deal with Julius Randle as he nears today’s deadline to pick up his $30.9MM player option, according to Chris Hine of The Star Tribune. Hine notes that Randle flourished in his first season with Minnesota and there aren’t many teams that can generate enough cap space to make an aggressive offer.
- Winning a title didn’t change Thunder general manager Sam Presti’s approach to the draft, per Rylan Stiles of Sports Illustrated. Presti continued to emphasize character as he took Georgetown center Thomas Sorber at No. 15 and Northwestern guard Brooks Barnhizer at No. 44. “The one thing we’ve never really strayed from, and I don’t think we will, is the focus on drafting people and not players,” Presti said. “I think the characteristics of winning players, they multiply at a greater level than just talented players. They scale up better.”
- Any fears that Ace Bailey might be reluctant to report to Utah ended Saturday when he arrived in Salt Lake City wearing a Jazz t-shirt, according to Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune. Gordon Monson of The Salt Lake Tribune provides Bailey with a guide to the area and says he’ll be a favorite among Jazz fans if he lives up to his potential. The team scheduled a press conference on Sunday to formally introduce its rookies.