Tre Johnson

Injury Notes: Curry, Green, Johnson, Morant, Booker, Green, Gafford, Williams, Poole

Good news for the Warriors. Stephen Curry is no longer on the injury report, according to ESPN’s Anthony Slater (Twitter link). Curry hasn’t played since Nov. 26 due to a quad injury.

The future Hall of Famer will suit up against the Timberwolves on Friday but two Golden State frontcourt players won’t be available. Draymond Green will miss the game for personal reasons, while Al Horford continues to be sidelined by a nerve issue in his back.

Here’s more injury-related news:

  • The Wizards list four prominent players — Bilal Coulibaly, Corey Kispert, Alex Sarr and Khris Middleton — as out for their game against Cleveland on Friday (Twitter link). However, one key player isn’t on the injury report. Lottery pick Tre Johnson, who has been sidelined since Nov. 21 due to a hip flexor, is expected to suit up.
  • The Grizzlies list seven players as out for their against Utah on Friday. Star guard Ja Morant isn’t one of them. Morant is considered questionable to play. A right calf strain has sidelined him since Nov. 15.
  • Suns star guard Devin Booker will return either Sunday against the Lakers or next Thursday against the Warriors, according to Arizona radio host John Gambadoro (Twitter link). Booker hasn’t played since Dec. 1 due to a groin injury. Jalen Green, who has only played two games this season due to a hamstring strain, is tracking toward a return just after Christmas, Gambadoro adds.
  • The Mavericks list big man Daniel Gafford as doubtful to play against Brooklyn on Friday due to right ankle injury management, Grant Afseth of the Dallas Hoops Journal tweets.
  • The Trail Blazers’ Robert Williams (illness) and Yang Hansen (facial contusion) won’t play against New Orleans tonight, the team’s PR department tweets. Both players were originally listed as questionable.
  • Jordan Poole is available to play for the Pelicans tonight, the team’s PR department tweets. He has been out since Nov. 4 due to a left quad strain.

Wizards Rookie Tre Johnson Out Multiple Weeks Due To Hip Injury

Wizards guard Tre Johnson, the sixth pick in the June draft, will miss multiple weeks due to a strained left hip flexor, Varun Shankar of the Washington Post reports.

Head coach Brian Keefe made the announcement after practice on Monday but didn’t reveal a specific timetable beyond saying that Johnson will be reevaluated in two weeks.

It’s an injury that Johnson dealt with during his lone college season with Texas. He re-aggravated it on Friday against the Raptors and didn’t play against the Bulls on Saturday. The team’s PR departments confirms the injury in a tweet.

Johnson, 19, is averaging 11.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 24.3 minutes per game. He started in four of the team’s first 15 contests and is shooting 44.5% from the field, including 39.5% on three-point tries. He has played fewer than 20 minutes in his last three appearances.

Johnson has often been seen wearing a pad on his hip while on the bench, according to Shankar.

“It shows how tough a kid this guy is,” Keefe said. “He’s been playing through some pain but he’s continuing to push through. But after [the Toronto] game, we decided to hold him out.”

Kyshawn George, Corey Kispert and Cam Whitmore could all see an uptick in minutes with Johnson out.

Southeast Notes: Suggs, Spoelstra, Cavs/Wizards, Coulibaly

Magic guard Jalen Suggs underwent season-ending surgery in March to remove a cartilage fragment in his left knee, then spent the offseason recovering from that procedure and going through a lengthy rehab process. The 24-year-old didn’t appear in any preseason games last month, and has been on a minutes restriction to open 2025/26, averaging just 19.6 MPG through seven contests.

Jamahl Mosley was asked on Friday when Suggs might be cleared for an increased workload, but Orlando’s head coach gave an evasive answer, as Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel relays (via Twitter).

You’d like to try and ramp him up a little bit more but you want to be careful for the long haul of the season, being smart with it,” Mosley said. ” … The more we can get his minutes up, the better it’ll be because then there’s a routine and a continuity that can happen when you’d have similar lineups on the floor.” 

Despite the relatively limited amount of playing time, Suggs has been very productive this season, averaging 11.0 PPG, 4.4 APG, 3.1 RPG and 1.7 SPG on .551/.448/.909 shooting. The former No. 5 overall pick also has the best net rating differential on the team (+14.5 when he’s playing; -5.9 when he’s not).

Here’s more from around the Southeast:

  • Erik Spoelstra‘s home burned down in a fire early Thursday morning. On Friday, the Heat head coach said he was grateful for the community’s support in the wake of the devastating blaze, per Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. No person was injured in the fire, nor was the family’s dog. “I just want to thank everybody for this overwhelming support,” Spoelstra said, with his sons on either side of him as he spoke and his daughter in his lap. “The South Florida community has just been absolutely remarkable. People reaching out, wanting to help. It’s obviously been something that’s uniquely challenging for our family, but Spoelstras are resilient.”
  • There was a scoring error during Thursday’s game between the Cavaliers and Wizards, the NBA announced in a press release (Twitter link). With 8:15 remaining in the second quarter, Wizards guard Tre Johnson made both of his free throws, but the first was recorded as a miss. The final score and statistics have been corrected, according to the league. The error didn’t materially impact the game, which Cleveland won in lopsided fashion (148-115 after the correction).
  • Wizards forward Bilal Coulibaly missed his second straight game on Saturday with a left calf contusion, tweets Josh Robbins of The Athletic. The French wing, who was selected seventh overall in the 2023 draft, was out for the first four games of the season while recovering from thumb surgery.

Wizards Notes: Whitmore, T. Johnson, Sarr, Front Office

Starting wings Bilal Coulibaly (lower left leg tightness) and Kyshawn George (illness) missed Friday’s game against Cleveland, creating an opportunity for other young players, but Cam Whitmore only played about five minutes in the Wizards‘ blowout loss to Cleveland, with all of his playing time coming in the first quarter, observes Varun Shankar of The Washington Post (Twitter links).

It’s the fourth straight game in which Whitmore’s minutes have declined, Shankar notes.

Head coach Brian Keefe claimed prior to Friday’s contest that the drop in Whitmore’s playing time wasn’t due to his performance, saying, Cam’s going to continue to play, he’s doing good.” Yet fellow reserve wings Jamir Watkins (20 minutes), Corey Kispert (20 minutes), Justin Champagnie (19 minutes) and Will Riley (10 minutes) all saw more action against the Cavs than Whitmore.

Keefe said after the game he wanted to see how other players — particularly Watkins — would perform with rotation minutes, according to Shankar (Twitter link).

The Wizards traded a pair of second-round picks to Houston over the summer in order to acquire Whitmore, who was selected 20th overall in the 2023 draft. The 21-year-old small forward will be eligible for a rookie scale extension next offseason.

Here’s more on the Wizards:

  • Rookie guard Tre Johnson received his first career start on Friday with Coulibaly and George sidelined, tweets Josh Robbins of The Athletic. The sixth overall pick in this year’s draft finished with 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting in 29 minutes.
  • While the team’s 1-8 start has been disappointing, the early play of second-year big man Alex Sarr has been highly encouraging, Shankar writes for The Washington Post (subscriber link). Through eight games, the French center held averages of 19.0 points, 8.4 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2.3 blocks, with a shooting line of .540/.455/.800 — all of those figures represent significant jumps from his rookie campaign.
  • Longtime former Thunder executives Michael Winger (now the Wizards’ president) and Will Dawkins (general manager) have made numerous positive changes behind the scenes even if the Wizards’ on-court product still leaves something to be desired, per Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman (subscription required). Kispert, one of only two holdovers from the previous front office regime, appreciates the new amenities, such as a traveling chef and more travel accommodations for players’ family members. “Everything changed when (Winger and Dawkins) showed up,” Kispert told The Oklahoman. “It adds up to a lot. Ultimately, the little things are what make the player experience special. … A lot of organizations do the same things across the board, but it’s that little stuff in the margins that make the difference.”

Wizards Notes: Coulibaly, George, Lottery, Wall, Haywood

Third-year Wizards forward Bilal Coulibaly had an impressive season debut in Thursday’s loss to Oklahoma City, as Josh Robbins of The Athletic details.

Coulibaly missed the entire preseason and the first four games of 2025/26 after undergoing surgery last month to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb. The 21-year-old suffered that injury while playing for the French national team at EuroBasket 2025.

Coulibaly, who will be eligible for a rookie scale extension next summer after having his fourth-year option for 2026/27 exercised, recorded 16 points, eight rebounds, four assists, one steal and three blocks in 24 minutes against the Thunder. While the statistics speak for themselves, the manner in which the French wing produced was an encouraging sign for the Wizards, Robbins writes.

I’ve worked too much to be passive and all that,” Coulibaly said afterward. “I’m just trying to be as active as possible this year. Every possession, everybody’s got to feel me. I think it will be a really good step up.”

The seventh overall pick in the 2023 draft, Coulibaly was immediately reinserted into the starting lineup, with Bub Carrington moving to the bench. Head coach Brian Keefe likes the defensive versatility of Coulibaly, Kyshawn George and Alex Sarr, and believes they can eventually form the “backbone of a top defense,” according to Robbins.

He thinks we are guys that can really defend and be on top of the league at some point,” Coulibaly said.

Here’s more on the Wizards:

  • George, who will get more on-ball reps with the starters now that Carrington is running the second unit, recently spoke to Grant Afseth of RG.org about a number of topics, including what has led to his strong start to the season. The 21-year-old guard/forward says he hasn’t just been working to improve his on-court skills, but his leadership as well. “I think it ties into the player I want to be in the future — one of the best,” George told Afseth. “And I think to be one of the best, you’ve got to be a leader and you’ve got to be aggressive on the court. I worked a whole lot during the offseason. I was in Washington most of my offseason for a reason, and I think now it’s just about me putting it into practice in the game.”
  • While it’s promising that George, Sarr, Coulibaly and Tre Johnson, among others, appear to be taking steps forward in their development, the Wizards will still need lottery luck next year if they hope to find a star-level talent, contends David Aldridge of The Athletic. As Aldridge observes, the 2026 draft class is considered very strong at the top, with Darryn Peterson, A.J. Dybantsa and Cameron Boozer all viewed as having considerable upside.
  • Former Wizards star John Wall and ex-Wizards big man Brendan Haywood have joined the team’s local broadcasts as analysts on Monumental Sports Network, as Scott Allen of The Washington Post relays (subscriber link).

Wizards Notes: George, Bench, Johnson, Rebuild

Wizards second-year forward Kyshawn George had a breakout game on Friday, racking up a career-best 34 points on 11-of-15 shooting to go along with 11 rebounds, four assists, two steals and three blocks in a win over Dallas. George is aiming to make performances like that the norm.

“You get to create what the Wizards are going to be for the future, and I think there’s no better space to be as a player than that,” George told Varun Shankar of the Washington Post. “I’m just looking forward to stacking those days to just get better.”

CJ McCollum believes George can develop into that type of player.

“He’s the total package,” McCollum told The Athletic’s Josh Robbins. “He’s got it all. A three-level scorer. Obviously, you see the handle, you see the defensive pressure.”

We have more on the Wizards:

  • The bench contributed 47 points, 19 rebounds and eight assists, led by rookie Tre Johnson‘s 17 points. “Our bench came in and really changed the game,” coach Brian Keefe said, per Robbins. “We ended up playing 11 guys, and everybody had a contribution to that. We were able to establish the physicality against a pretty veteran, big team from the get-go. Even though we didn’t make shots at the beginning, we stuck with the game plan and trusted what we were doing.”
  • Speaking of Johnson, the knock on him coming out of Texas was his defense. He believes he can become an asset on that end of the floor, he told Mark Medina of EssentiallySports.com. “People who have seen me play know that I can defend,” Johnson said. “I’ve never really been the one to get picked out too much. So it’s really about being solid on defense. Maybe I’ll try to be more active in steals. That’s the only place where defense shows on the stat sheet.”
  • According to Robbins, it’s key during the rebuild that the Wizards soon unearth a future All-NBA player on the roster. This season should be about finding that guy, whether he’s already on the roster or whether he’s going to be in the 2026 draft. Overall, Washington must stick to its plan this season, even as the losses pile up again, says Robbins.

Wizards Notes: Coulibaly, A. Johnson, T. Johnson, Rebuild

Third-year Wizards forward Bilal Coulibaly will be sidelined for Wednesday’s regular season opener in Milwaukee, head coach Brian Keefe told reporters, including Josh Robbins of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Coulibaly, the seventh overall pick of the 2023 draft, underwent right thumb surgery on September 12 after suffering a torn ligament in the digit while playing for the French national team at EuroBasket 2025. A subsequent report stated the 21-year-old would likely be out six-to-eight weeks, so he may remain on the shelf for a little while beyond opening night.

A 6’8″ wing, Coulibaly was a full-time starter for Washington in 2024/25, averaging 12.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.3 steals in 59 games (33.0 MPG). His second season was cut short due to a hamstring injury he sustained in March.

Second-year guard AJ Johnson, meanwhile, will be good to go against the Bucks after missing the entire preseason with a leg bruise.

Here’s more on the Wizards:

  • Robbins of The Athletic spoke to five anonymous scouts from rival teams to learn what they think of rookie guard Tre Johnson, whom the Wizards selected sixth overall in June. As Robbins notes, Coulibaly and 2024 No. 2 overall pick Alex Sarr were rightly viewed by scouts as defensive prospects, whereas Johnson is known for his offense — particularly his jump shot. There are question marks about the 19-year-old’s defense, but one talent evaluator thinks Johnson could develop into the third-best player on a contender, comparing his ceiling to a player who made his first All-Star appearance last season. “I don’t know that he gets to the Tyler Herro level,” the scout told Robbins. “But could that be the best-case scenario for him, a guy who can create a little bit off the dribble? Maybe he follows that. I think he’s got a chance to be a little bit better defensively than Tyler but maybe not as good offensively if the shooting doesn’t get to Tyler’s level. If it all goes well, and he kind of progresses along, that’s not a crazy projection for him.”
  • In a column for The Washington Post, Candace Buckner questions whether the Wizards’ rebuild is on track — and whether it’s possible to even answer that question. As Buckner observes, the team appears no closer to being competitive than it was two years ago when the current front office — led by president Michael Winger — took over from the previous regime. The uncertainty of how long it will take to break out of the prolonged stretch of losing will eventually start to wear on everyone involved, Buckner adds, even as the Wizards publicly preach patience.
  • In case you missed it, the Wizards set their roster for the regular season by waiving second-year forward Dillon Jones on Sunday. You can read more details right here.

And-Ones: Core Trios, MVP, Hayward, NBA App

Tim Bontemps of ESPN ranks the core trios of every NBA team based on their current and future value. Unsurprisingly, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren of the defending champion Thunder sit atop Bontemps’ tiered list, followed by the Nuggets trio of Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon.

Bontemps’ final tier (“rebuilding”) is comprised of the Nets (Nic Claxton, Egor Demin, Nolan Traore), Trail Blazers (Toumani Camara, Donovan Clingan, Shaedon Sharpe), Jazz (Ace Bailey, Walter Clayton, Lauri Markkanen), and Wizards (Bilal Coulibaly, Tre Johnson, Alex Sarr).

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

  • Using six categories (narrative score, expected ridiculous stats score, team quality score, clutch score, player impact score, and perceived value score), Zach Harper of The Athletic takes a stab at predicting who will win the NBA’s MVP award in 2025/26. Jokic, who was the runner-up last season, earns the most points (55/60), followed by reigning MVP Gilgeous-Alexander (50/60) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (50/60), who finished third in voting last season. However, Harper’s “gut” says Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (45/60) will claim his first MVP.
  • Former NBA All-Star Gordon Hayward, who retired last summer after a 14-year career in the league, is returning to his alma mater in a new role. According to a Butler press release written by John Dedman, Hayward will be an executive basketball advisor for the Bulldogs’ men’s basketball program. In addition to advising in multiple areas, Hayward will also serve as a mentor to student-athletes, with a focus on leadership and professional development.
  • The NBA announced in a press release that it has launched a new multi-platform streaming offering as well as the “reimagined” NBA TV, both of which can be accessed via the NBA App. There’s also a new flagship program on NBA TV and the NBA App called “The Association,” which features MJ Acosta-Ruiz, David Fizdale, Rudy Gay, Chris Haynes and John Wall, among others.

Wizards Notes: Sarr, Vukcevic, McCollum, Watkins

Five talent evaluators from around the NBA spoke to Josh Robbins of The Athletic about what to expect from Wizards big man Alex Sarr and none of those sources expect the former No. 2 overall pick to develop into the best or second-best player on a contender, according to Robbins.

One scout questioned whether Sarr will become a reliable enough outside shooter to qualify as a stretch big man, while another suggested the seven-footer will have to bulk up and become more imposing physically in order to maximize his potential as a rim protector. “He weighs less than some of the bigger wings and forwards that are starting in the NBA,” that scout said.

Still, multiple sources who talked to Robbins are optimistic about Sarr’s ability to build on what he showed during his rookie season and to continue making strides toward becoming a reliable starting center.

“I would be surprised if he doesn’t take a big leap this year, and that big leap will be being effective on the floor and trying to impact the team outcome as opposed to impacting his individual outcome,” one evaluator told Robbins. “There’s still a lot (of untapped potential) as to what he could be. It was probably a slower start than maybe the general fan would hope for. But I think by the end of (last) season, he had been put in a position to succeed, and we’re going to see more of that built on this season. We’re going to see it start to pay dividends this season.”

Here’s more on Sarr and the Wizards:

  • Sarr, who sustained a left calf injury during the EuroBasket tournament, told reporters on Saturday that he expects to be available to play in Washington’ preseason opener on Sunday after spending the past week ramping up, tweets Robbins. The Wizards will be taking on the Raptors, who have Alex’s brother Olivier Sarr on their roster on an Exhibit 10 deal. It will be the first time the brothers play one another in an organized game, according to the Wizards center (Twitter video link via Chase Hughes of Monumental Sports Network).
  • Representing Serbia at EuroBasket, Wizards big man Tristan Vukcevic got the chance to team up with three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic. As Hughes writes for Monumental Sports Network, Vukcevic said he was inspired by how hard the Nuggets star practices and paid close attention to specific aspects of Jokic’s game that he hopes to emulate. “Just seeing him in the short roll and how he reads – is he going to finish or pass to the corner – with those reads it helped me a lot being with him,” Vukcevic said. “Hopefully I can translate.”
  • In a conversation with Hughes, Wizards guard CJ McCollum shared his early impressions on Wizards rookies Tre Johnson, Will Riley, and Jamir Watkins. While he shared positive feedback on all three players, McCollum notably spoke at length about Watkins, describing the second-round pick as a potential “lock-down” defender capable of guarding positions one through five. “He asks questions about defense. He was in the cold tub yesterday asking me about Herb Jones and what makes him such a good defender,” McCollum said. “He was asking me how he got to that point. I was telling him that he cares. He watches film, he makes the extra effort, and the body type matches. He’s got a good body – 6-foot-5, 6-foot-6 with long arms, quick enough to guard ones, strong enough to guard threes and fours. He can probably switch onto some fives and then it’s 3-and-D. The league loves that.”

Wizards Notes: McCollum, Carrington, Whitmore, Kispert

CJ McCollum found a unique way to express the age difference between himself and his new Wizards teammates, writes Bijan Todd of Monumental Sports Network. The 34-year-old guard, who runs a successful winery, noted that many of them aren’t old enough to legally partake of his product.

The list includes second-year players Bub Carrington and AJ Johnson, who are both 20, along with this year’s first-round picks, Tre Johnson and Will Riley, who are 19. McCollum was acquired from New Orleans this summer to serve as a mentor to the young talent, and he said the process started early.

“The guys are asking questions. Obviously they’re able to see how I work and how I got to where I’m at within this league in terms of the respect I have, but also I how I play,” McCollum told reporters at media day. “I think they’ll learn a lot from me just by osmosis, by being around, but also me being able to help out and explain why I do things the way I do, why I prepare the way I do, why I get in at the times that I do.”

McCollum identified Carrington as being especially inquisitive and complimented him for “asking the right questions.” Carrington is expected to be the team’s starting point guard this season, and McCollum has many years of experience in that role.

“It’s super exciting. It’s crazy that I’m even on the same team as him because CJ McCollum was someone that my whole life I’ve been compared to, and my whole life I’ve actually looked up to,” Carrington said. “And I’ve actually kind of had a cheat sheet on CJ McCollum because he went to Lehigh and my brother went to Lehigh as well, so I already knew of him and watched him even when he was in college. … He’s here until 3 p.m., I’m here until 3 p.m. talking to him. I think he loves it though. I’m starting to realize he likes to talk too. It’s kind of helping both of us, I guess.”

There’s more from Washington:

  • General manager Will Dawkins was fond enough of Cam Whitmore heading into the 2023 draft that he asked the D.C. native if he would be comfortable playing for his hometown team, per Chase Hughes of Monumental Sports Network. Whitmore will finally get that chance after being acquired from Rockets following two years of inconsistent playing time. “He obviously didn’t get as much of an opportunity in Houston for whatever reason, but he understands that he’s going to have opportunity here but it’s gotta be earned,” Dawkins said. “I don’t know when that’s going to come, but he’s excited. He’s a powerful, explosive, dynamic athlete who can compete on both ends. We’ve gotta get him to be consistent.”
  • Corey Kispert underwent thumb surgery in March, but he said at media day that it didn’t affect his offseason workouts, tweets Josh Robbins of The Athletic.
  • Varun Shankar of The Washington Post (subscription required) previews the training camp battles for playing time, especially on the wing, where there will be an opportunity while Bilal Coulibaly recovers from thumb ligament surgery.