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Injury Notes: Zion, Suggs, Harris, Jones, Suns, J. Porter

January 26th, 2024 at 9:28pm CST by Rory Maher

After being considered a game-time decision leading into Friday’s contest vs. Oklahoma City, Pelicans forward Zion Williamson was later ruled out with a bone contusion in his left foot, the team announced (via Twitter).

Williamson has a history of foot injuries, having missed the entire 2021/22 season with a broken fifth metatarsal on his right foot. Obviously though, this new injury is on the opposite foot, and there’s no indication that it will be a long-term issue — head coach Willie Green said imaging on Williamson’s foot “came back clean,” tweets Christian Clark of NOLA.com.

The former No. 1 overall pick is averaging 21.9 PPG, 5.6 RPG and 4.8 APG in 36 games this season. Friday was his ninth missed game in ’23/24.

Here are some more injury notes from around the NBA:

Starting Magic guard Jalen Suggs sustained a bruised left knee on Friday and was ruled out for the remainder of the matchup with Memphis, per the team (Twitter link). As a third-year former first-round pick, Suggs will be eligible for a rookie scale extension in the offseason.
As Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel tweets, Suggs isn’t the only Magic backcourt member injured at the moment. Veteran guard Gary Harris still isn’t doing contact work yet as he continues to recover from a right calf strain, per head coach Jamahl Mosley. Friday was Harris’ 11th consecutive missed game.
Mavericks forward Derrick Jones Jr. was in “tremendous pain” after falling on his left wrist during Friday’s win over Atlanta, according to Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter link). Jones went straight to the locker room and was later ruled out with a left wrist sprain, per the Mavs (Twitter link).
Suns center Jusuf Nurkic exited Friday’s loss to Indiana due to left thumb injury and did not return, per Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. After the game, Nurkic said he jammed his thumb a few times, but X-rays were negative (Twitter link via Rankin). Guard Bradley Beal also exited Friday’s game after being inadvertently hit in the nose by Myles Turner, but he was able to return to the contest, Rankin adds. Head coach Frank Vogel said Beal may have suffered a broken nose, Rankin tweets. Beal said he didn’t feel any concussion symptoms but he couldn’t breathe out of his nose, with blood continuing to be an issue, per Rankin (Twitter link).
Raptors two-way big man Jontay Porter had to leave Friday’s game vs. the Clippers due to an eye injury he sustained earlier in the week vs. Memphis, according to Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca, who says Porter was cleared by an eye specialist on Friday and he has a follow-up appointment on Saturday (Twitter links).

Minimum Game Requirement For Awards Looms Large For Super-Max Candidates

January 20th, 2024 at 3:55pm CST by Luke Adams

As we detailed back in September, there are several players around the NBA who would benefit financially from making an All-NBA team or winning a Most Valuable Player of Defensive Player of the Year award in 2023/24.

Heat big man Bam Adebayo, Kings guard De’Aaron Fox, Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram, Nuggets guard Jamal Murray are among the players who would become eligible to sign a super-max (Designated Veteran) contract during the 2024 offseason by earning one of those honors this season.

Mavericks guard Luka Doncic and Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander could ensure they become eligible to sign a super-max extension in 2025 by making this year’s All-NBA team. Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr. could do the same by winning a second consecutive Defensive Player of the Year award.

Additionally, Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards, Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton, and Hornets guard LaMelo Ball signed maximum-salary rookie scale extensions that will be worth 30% of next season’s salary cap (instead of 25%) if they make an All-NBA team this spring. These “Rose Rule” contracts are essentially “mini” super-max deals.

Not all of those 10 players look like legitimate All-NBA, MVP, or DPOY candidates this season, but many of them will be in the mix. However, as Tim Bontemps and Bobby Marks write at ESPN.com, the newly implemented 65-game minimum requirement for award winners looms large for this group.

Without appearing in 65 games (including at least 63 of 20-plus minutes and two of 15-plus minutes), these players will be ineligible to earn an All-NBA spot, and without that end-of-season honor, they won’t be in position to receive a higher maximum salary.

According to Bontemps and Marks, a player who misses more than 17 of his team’s games, falling short of appearing in the required 65, can technically still qualify for award recognition, but only in very specific scenarios:

If the player appeared in at least 62 games (and 85% of his team’s games to that point) and then suffers a season-ending injury.
If the player files a grievance and presents “clear and convincing evidence” that his team limited his games or his minutes with the intention of depriving him of award eligibility.

While there’s also a clause for “extraordinary circumstances,” the NBA and NBPA don’t expect that clause to apply to injury absences, since it would essentially defeat the purpose of the rule, per ESPN’s duo.

Of the 10 players mentioned above, one is already ineligible for a major end-of-season award — Ball has appeared in just 19 of the Hornets’ first 39 games due to an ankle injury, so even if he doesn’t miss a game for the rest of the season, he’ll max out at 62 appearances. Given Charlotte’s spot in the standings, Ball would have been an All-NBA long shot anyway, but he has been playing at a very high level when he’s been healthy.

The 65-game mark remains within reach for the rest of this group, though some players can’t really afford any sort of extended absence. Adebayo, for instance, has missed 10 of Miami’s 42 games so far and only logged 12 minutes in an 11th, which means it won’t count toward his 65. Seven more missed games would cost him his award eligibility.

Murray is in a similar spot — he has missed 14 of Denver’s 43 games and played just 10 minutes in a 15th, so three more missed games would make him ineligible for award consideration.

Doncic has missed seven games for the Mavericks, while Fox has missed six for the Kings, so they’re on pace to play in enough games, but if either player turns an ankle or tweaks a hamstring and is forced to the sidelines for a couple weeks, he’d be in trouble.

It looked like that might happen with Haliburton, who sat out just three of the Pacers’ first 36 games, then strained his hamstring earlier this month. He was expected to be unavailable for at least a couple weeks, but returned to action on Friday night, ahead of schedule, after missing just five contests.

Haliburton is a legitimate All-NBA candidate and would be in line for a projected $41MM pay increase across his five-year extension if he earns one of those 15 spots. Were those financial considerations a factor in his early return to action? Would he still have been inactive on Friday if that 65-game minimum weren’t in play?

It’s hard to imagine the Pacers allowing their franchise player to risk potential re-injury by coming back too early, but Haliburton certainly has a ton of motivation to play in every game he can this year.

As Howard Beck of The Ringer writes, that 65-game minimum will be a fascinating subplot to follow in the second half of the season. Although we’ve focused here on players whose future earnings could be directly tied to whether or not they claim an end-of-season award, there are many other potential All-NBA candidates who may fall short of 65 games, changing the equation for voters.

Joel Embiid, Jimmy Butler, Kyrie Irving, Donovan Mitchell, Devin Booker, Zion Williamson, and Lauri Markkanen are among the stars who have been out for eight or more games so far this season, Beck observes. Kevin Durant has missed seven.

The 65-game minimum isn’t necessary to earn votes for Sixth Man of the Year, Rookie of the Year, or an All-Rookie spot, but the other major awards require at least 65 appearances.

In 2023, five of the 15 players who made an All-NBA team appeared in fewer than 65 games, but that won’t be the case in 2024. The players who have the most riding on All-NBA honors from a financial perspective may be the ones most motivated to stay on the court, but as Adebayo points out, you “can’t stop injuries from happening.”

“God forbid nobody gets hurt, but you can’t [prevent] injury,” he said, per Bontemps and Marks. “I think it’s crazy that we even have the rule. It’s one of those things where you just accept the rule. … I guess use your 17 games as wisely as possible.”

Mavs’ Kleber Probable Saturday After Lengthy Absence

January 13th, 2024 at 2:49pm CST by Rory Maher

Mavericks big man Maxi Kleber is probable to return on Saturday vs. New Orleans after missing more than two months with a right small toe dislocation, per the NBA’s latest injury report.

Kleber, 31, has been limited to just five games this season after sustaining the toe injury on November 1. He initially tried to play through it, missing three games and then suiting up for a contest on Nov. 8. He hasn’t played since, missing the past 31 games.

A seven-year veteran, Kleber will earn $33MM — $11MM annually — over the next three seasons after signing an extension in September 2022. He played a key role in helping the Mavs reach the Western Conference Finals in ’21/22, averaging 8.7 PPG, 4.6 RPG and 0.8 BPG on .509/.436/.714 shooting in 18 playoff games (25.4 MPG).

When healthy, the German forward/center is a versatile defender who can space the floor, making him a valuable role player. But he has missed at least 22 games in each of the last three seasons, including 45 in 2022/23. He was focused on getting healthy over the offseason, but has again been beset by injuries.

While it’s obviously a positive development that Kleber’s return appears imminent, the Mavs will be without Luka Doncic for the second straight game due to a right ankle sprain, Dante Exum is out for the sixth straight contest with a right plantar sprain, and Dereck Lively has been downgraded from questionable to doubtful with his left ankle sprain, tweets Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News.

For the Pelicans, who are on the second of a back-to-back, Zion Williamson will be out (rest), while three other players are questionable with various injuries.

Southwest Notes: Pelicans, Wembanyama, Udoka, Morant, Doncic

January 11th, 2024 at 10:59am CST by Arthur Hill

The Pelicans believe they should be considered among the best teams in the West after back-to-back blowout wins in difficult environments, writes William Guillory of The Athletic. New Orleans is sixth in the conference at 23-15 — only three-and-a-half games out of the top spot — after crushing the Warriors by 36 points on Wednesday. That followed a 33-point victory Sunday at Sacramento, and the combination has the players feeling good about their chances.

“I would say we have the deepest team in the entire league. We have 12, 13, 14 guys who can all play on any team. They can be rotational players,” Trey Murphy said. “Guys are really sharing the ball. It’s beautiful to watch. We’re shooting the ball at a really high level right now, and our defense has really carried on the road.”

The Pelicans’ improvement has been a product of avoiding injuries, Guillory notes. After playing just 29 games last year, Zion Williamson has only missed seven so far this season. Brandon Ingram has been available for all but three, while CJ McCollum has only sat out one game since returning from a partially collapsed lung in November.

“Health matters, man. It matters,” McCollum said. “It matters for game-planning. It matters for practice. It matters for camaraderie, chemistry, execution. You’ve got to be used to playing with guys to get the results that you want.”

There’s more from the Southwest Division:

After posting his first career triple-double in just 21 minutes Wednesday night, Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama said he would like to see his minutes restriction lifted soon, tweets Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. Wembanyama said the restriction “could be turned off like this” as he snapped his fingers, adding that he hopes to talk to the team’s medical staff about the possibility.
Wembanyama is expected to be part of the French team for this summer’s Olympics in Paris, according to Joe Vardon of The Athletic. The Spurs‘ top draft pick didn’t take part in last year’s World Cup, but there appear to be no impediments to him trying to win an Olympic gold medal in his native country.
In an interview with Marc J. Spears of Andscape, Rockets coach Ime Udoka says he still has strong relationships with his former Celtics players, even though they were only together for one season. Udoka will return to Boston on Sunday for the first time since being suspended and ultimately replaced as head coach. “My [Celtics] players will reach out and talk about how proud they are about what we’re doing and then vice versa. I see what they’re doing as well,” Udoka said. “The biggest piece from just being there for only one season was those relationships we formed. And some of those guys I’ll talk to for the rest of our lives. And so, there is a close bond and you look back at what could have been, but also understand the impact you had and the relationships [you] will continue to have going forward.”
Ja Morant had successful surgery on his right shoulder this morning, the Grizzlies announced (via Twitter). Morant will miss the rest of the season.
A sprained right ankle will force Mavericks star Luka Doncic to sit out tonight’s game against New York, tweets Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News.

Southwest Notes: Mavs, Pelicans, Murphy, Eason, Rockets

January 4th, 2024 at 9:41pm CST by Rory Maher

The Mavericks had a couple of frontcourt rotation players go down with ankle injuries in Wednesday’s blowout victory over Portland, as Dereck Lively sprained his left ankle in the third quarter and Grant Williams sprained his right in the fourth, writes Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News. Neither player returned to the game.

However, head coach Jason Kidd said after the game that the two sprains were “mild,” tweets ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, and on Thursday, both players were listed as questionable for Friday’s rematch with Portland (Twitter link via Mavs play-by-play announcer Mark Followill). Dante Exum (right heel contusion) and Richaun Holmes (personal reasons) are doubtful.

Here’s more from the Southwest:

Instead of folding after being blown out by the Lakers during the in-season tournament, the Pelicans have played their best basketball of the season over the past few weeks, going 9-3, including seven double-digit wins, per William Guillory of The Athletic. As Guillory writes, Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson playing selflessly and “doing the little things” has contributed to the team’s success, as has CJ McCollum adapting to a more spot-up role while being a locker room leader.
Pelicans guard/forward Trey Murphy is still considered day-to-day after missing the past three games with left knee soreness, head coach Willie Green said on Thursday (Twitter link via Christian Clark of NOLA.com). Murphy is questionable for Friday’s matchup with the Clippers, Clark tweets. It’s worth noting that the third-year wing had left knee surgery to repair his meniscus in September.
Second-year Rockets forward Tari Eason has drawn praise from head coach Ime Udoka and has been very impactful when he’s able to suit up lately, but the stress reaction he suffered in his left leg during preseason continues to be an issue, according to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (subscriber link), who notes that rookies Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore have gotten more playing time when Eason is out. “It’s day-to-day at this point,” Udoka said of Eason. “He might have reaggravated here and there. It acts up a little bit. So continue to monitor it, but it’s something we’re going to deal with for a while. He’s been getting looked at, checked out, a ton of treatment, rehab. Rest is good for it, has been. On those games he’s played back-to-back, had to limit his minutes. The games we had days off in between, we were capping him at 25. We’d obviously like to play him more when he’s playing really well.”

Final Three Years Of Zion Williamson’s Extension No Longer Guaranteed

December 21st, 2023 at 10:05am CST by Arthur Hill

The five-year, $197MM extension that Zion Williamson signed with the Pelicans in 2022 no longer carries a guarantee for the final three seasons, Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic has learned.

According to Vorkunov, a clause in the contract makes Williamson’s salaries for 2025/26, 2026/27, and 2027/28 non-guaranteed because he missed more than 22 games last season. A year after sitting out an entire season with a foot injury, Williamson managed to play in just 29 games in 2022/23, mainly due to a lingering hamstring issue.

Missing significant time again this season could reduce the guaranteed portion of Williamson’s $36.7MM salary for 2024/25, Vorkunov adds, although his contract contains provisions for him to earn back some of the guarantees by playing in a certain number of games and achieving weigh-in benchmarks. He has been more reliable so far this season, appearing in 23 of 28 games, even though there have been concerns about his conditioning.

Williamson risks losing more guaranteed money if he doesn’t keep adhering to the team’s weight guidelines. As previously reported, the Pelicans are requiring him to keep the total of his weight and body fat percentage below a combined 295, with Vorkunov noting that because Williamson was listed at 285 pounds last season, his body fat would have had to be less than 10% to meet that clause.

The contract also includes protections for the team if Williamson has further problems with the fifth metatarsal in his right foot, which is what sidelined him for the 2021/22 season. If he suffers another fracture or stress injury to that area, he will lose the guarantee on half his base salary for 2024/25, sources tell Vorkunov.

There are provisions for Williamson to regain portions of his guaranteed money, Vorkunov adds. Twenty percent of his 2025/26 salary will be guaranteed if he hits all six of his weight checkpoints next season, another 40% if he’s able to play in at least half the team’s game for 2024/25 and the remaining 20% if he reaches 61 games. Similar pathways exist for the 2026/27 and 2027/28 guarantees.

Vorkunov also reports that Williamson must be waived by July 15 of each year if the Pelicans decide to part with him before any of the final three seasons.

The Pelicans and Williamson’s agent, Austin Brown, refused to comment, but Vorkunov was able to confirm the details with six league sources.

Of course, the guarantees will only come into play if New Orleans decides to release Williamson before the end of the contract, and rival executives believe that would only happen in “extreme circumstances,” Vorkunov adds. Despite all the injury concerns and conditioning questions, the former No. 1 overall draft pick remains a supremely talented player, averaging 22.0 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game this season while shooting 57.8% from the field.

John Hollinger of The Athletic provides an in-depth look at why the Pelicans are unlikely to part ways with Williamson before the deal expires, projecting that it would require a full-scale rebuild because of the difficulty of finding another star to replace him.

Southwest Notes: Morant, Smart, Cuban, Rockets, More

December 19th, 2023 at 2:50pm CST by Luke Adams

With Ja Morant poised to return from his 25-game suspension on Tuesday night vs. New Orleans, the Grizzlies‘ season is on the brink, as Morant’s absence and a plethora of injuries have created what Derrick Rose referred to as a “quagmire situation,” according to Baxter Holmes and Tim MacMahon of ESPN. As Holmes and MacMahon detail, “frustration has simmered” within the organization about the direction of the season, which has opened with 19 losses in 25 games.

But Morant’s teammates were all smiles on Monday as they discussed the point guard’s impending return, per Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. The club’s top two scorers this season, Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr., have faced a level of defensive attention they’re not accustomed to, and they’re looking forward to sharing the court with a player like Morant, who will be able to divert much of that attention.

“(Morant) is going to have to deal with that,” Jackson said. “He’s going to have to turn left and turn right and see three dudes so that I can do what I do. He’s an All-NBA, Hall of Fame-type player, so you’re going to have to pay attention and if you do that, we’re going to punish you.”

Although Morant hasn’t suited up for the Grizzlies since April, the club has been ramping up his workload in practice and doesn’t anticipate imposing any real limitations on his playing time in his return, Cole notes.

“He’s going to play pretty significant minutes,” head coach Taylor Jenkins said. “… I won’t anticipate going crazy with his minutes, but I don’t think it’s any kind of restriction.”

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

Grizzlies guard Marcus Smart, who hasn’t played since November 14 due to a left foot sprain, is getting very close to returning to action, Cole writes in another Commercial Appeal story. “Marcus is really close,” Jenkins said. “… Somewhere in that Indiana (Thursday) and Atlanta (Saturday) time frame, we’re hopeful that he’ll be back in the lineup then.”
Following up on the Mavericks‘ sale ahead of the Board of Governors vote, Marc Stein says on Substack that Mark Cuban will retain a 27% stake in the franchise. Stein indicates that the new owners – the Miriam Adelson/Patrick Dumont group – will therefore have a 73% controlling interest, but there have been conflicting reports on whether every single one of the minority stakeholders are being bought out.
The Rockets‘ closing lineup has been far less predictable than its starting group, according to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (subscription required), who examines head coach Ime Udoka‘s tendency to go with the hot hands down the stretch of games. “That’s what I believe in,” Udoka said. “I pretty much said that the day I was hired. Minutes and roles are not going to be handed out. The guys that are playing well and units that are playing well are going to get those minutes. I think everybody knows that across the board.”
William Guillory of The Athletic takes a look at the similarities between Pelicans forward Zion Williamson and Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama, two No. 1 picks who were expected to be saviors for their respective Southwest clubs as soon as they entered the NBA, exploring how they’ve dealt with those expectations.

Southwest Notes: Zion, Spurs, Popovich, Rose

December 16th, 2023 at 9:53pm CST by Arthur Hill

Throughout his NBA career, Zion Williamson has been criticized for his weight, his effort level and especially for his inability to stay on the court. Pelicans teammate Jose Alvarado tells Christian Clark of NOLA.com that Williamson is aware of the criticism and is trying to find ways to channel it into something positive.

“He learned,” Alvarado said. “He’s young still. We got his back. So it don’t matter about all that other stuff. But he hears it. He’s human. We (are) all human. We all in the generation of going on our phones and stuff is going to pop up. He’s responding. That’s a 23-year-old responding to the whole world telling him something he don’t want to hear. Like I said, it’s whatever. We’ve got his back. We tell him. We told him what he needed to hear. All the other stuff, I feel like was pretty unnecessary.”

Williamson became an easy target after New Orleans was embarrassed by the Lakers during the in-season tournament semifinals. Clark notes that TNT’s Shaquille O’Neal said Williamson “does not run hard,” and ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith called him “fat.” Alvarado said the team has rallied behind Williamson to help him deal with the outside barbs.

“He’s human,” Alvarado said. “He heard all that noise about that game in L.A. One thing about it: We can get on him. But the whole world, they trying to push him to be great. Obviously, we appreciate that. But f–k all that negative towards him. He’s a human being.”

There’s more from the Southwest Division:

There was a mixture of relief and celebration as the Spurs ended their nightmarish 18-game losing streak by beating the Lakers Friday night, per Andrew Lopez of ESPN. Devin Vassell poured in a career-high 36 points in San Antonio’s first victory since November 2. “A hundred percent it didn’t feel like a normal win,” Vassell said. “You see people jumping around on the sideline and everything. … I’m trying to stay composed. But at the end of the day, it’s special. This is a special group.”
Coach Gregg Popovich doesn’t expect the Spurs to pursue a major trade to turn the season around, according to Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. “Our focus is not immediate other than individual development and team concepts,” Popovich said. “But if there’s a trade that would make sense both now and for long-term, of course, we look at it. (General manager) Brian Wright and his guys are probably doing that already.”
Hamstring soreness forced Grizzlies guard Derrick Rose to leave Friday’s game, the team tweeted. Rose, who has helped the team weather Ja Morant‘s suspension, managed to play only about eight minutes.

Southwest Notes: Morant, Luka, Pelicans, Wemby

December 15th, 2023 at 2:46pm CST by Luke Adams

Speaking today to reporters for the first time this season, Grizzlies guard Ja Morant admitted he made “a lot” of mistakes in the past and said he had “some horrible days” this year as he focused on his behavior away from basketball, according to reports from Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal and Teresa M. Walker of The Associated Press. However, he’s hopeful that he’ll ultimately benefit from his 25-game suspension and the requirements that came with it, including therapy.

“In the end, I feel like it made me better,” Morant said. “I feel like I learned some stuff about myself that I did during that process. Very eye-opening. It kind of gave me a new look on life. How I go about my days. How I carry myself.”

Morant, who acknowledged that his actions will speak louder than his words when it comes to being a better leader on and off the court for the Grizzlies, also said he felt guilty about the fact that the team has struggled without him while he has served his 25-game suspension. After winning 107 regular season games over the last two seasons, Memphis is off to a 6-17 start this fall.

“Yes, it’s definitely some guilt in that,” he said. “Obviously I’m not on the floor. Nobody like losing. … I take full responsibility of that. Even though I’m not on the floor, decisions I’ve made didn’t allow me to be out there to go to battle with my team.”

Morant remains on track to make his return on Tuesday against New Orleans. His teammates, who have been seeing what he’s doing in practice, are excited about how he’s looked and the impact his return will have on the club, as Cole writes for The Commercial Appeal. Jaren Jackson Jr. said Morant has the “same quick-trigger bounce” as he always has, while Vince Williams referred to the star guard as an “energy guy” in practices.

“I feel like he’s putting in a lot more effort on the defensive end in practice,” Williams said. “If he’s doing it in practice, I know he’s going to do it in the games for us.”

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

Appearing on Headliners with Rachel Nichols (Twitter video link), Mavericks star Luka Doncic was asked if he’d seek an exit from Dallas if he didn’t feel like the team was moving toward title contention. Doncic suggested that’s not something he’s considered. “I feel great here,” he said. “They drafted me. I’ve felt at home since day one. I’m really happy where I’m at. I think we made some great moves this offseason. Yeah, I’m happy here.”
The Pelicans have the pieces to be an effective small-ball team and have been leaning more on those lineups as of late, William Guillory writes for The Athletic. In Guillory’s view, embracing a small-ball identity could take the team to new heights, so he thinks it’s important to see what a lineup consisting of Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, CJ McCollum, Trey Murphy, and Herbert Jones looks like once they’re all healthy — those five players have shared the court for just one minute so far this season.
Former No. 1 overall picks Anthony Davis and LeBron James are sympathetic to the expectations that Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama is facing in San Antonio, according to Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News (subscriber link), who notes that neither Davis nor James made the playoffs during their first two NBA seasons. “You’ve just got to go in and just play, find your way,” Davis said of Wembanyama this week. “You’re going to have ups and downs in the season. Obviously, he’s an exceptional talent. But don’t stress yourself out over the pressure from everyone else. You’ve got to know what your team wants from you. And don’t think that you have to turn the franchise around in one year.”

Injury Notes: Smart, Kennard, Smith, LeBron, Zion, Suns

December 14th, 2023 at 12:25am CST by Rory Maher

The Grizzlies are aiming to get some 5-on-5 work in for Marcus Smart this weekend, head coach Taylor Jenkins said on Wednesday (Twitter link via Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal). Jenkins added that Luke Kennard is “probably a step behind” Smart in the recovery process, per Cole.

Smart was diagnosed with a left foot sprain on November 17 and was expected to miss three-to-five weeks. He’s four weeks into that process now, and could be nearing a return. Kennard, meanwhile, has been dealing with a left knee bone bruise. Almost two weeks ago, the Grizzlies said he was expected to be back in two-to-three weeks.

Here are some more injury notes from around the NBA:

Pacers big man Jalen Smith (left knee bone bruise) has begun on-court work, head coach Rick Carlisle told reporters, including Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star (Twitter link). “It’s possible within the next week to 10 days we could see him in a game,” Carlisle said. Smith is averaging 10.0 points and 5.5 rebounds while shooting 70.7% from the field through 14 games (15.4 MPG).
Lakers star LeBron James was held out of Wednesday’s back-to-back in San Antonio after playing 40 minutes in Wednesday’s loss to Dallas, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. The Lakers said James, who was initially listed as questionable, was dealing with left calf soreness, but it doesn’t sound like anything serious, as he was interacting with teammates on the sidelines throughout the contest.
Pelicans forward Zion Williamson missed Wednesday’s win over Washington with left ankle soreness, but it should be a short-term injury, according to Christian Clark of NOLA.com. “His ankle is getting better,” head coach Willie Green said. ” ... His ankle is fine. Day to day.” Williamson sustained the injury late in Monday’s game, Clark notes.
Suns wing Josh Okogie sustained a right hip injury and was sidelined for Wednesday’s loss to Brooklyn, per Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports (Twitter link). It’s unclear how long Okogie might be sidelined. Guard Eric Gordon also missed the game with a calf injury. On a more positive note for Phoenix, fellow wing Nassir Little returned to the lineup after clearing the NBA’s concussion protocol, tweets Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Little wore a black face mask during the contest, as he sustained an orbital fracture last Friday against Sacramento. Surprisingly, Little only missed one full game and most of another with the injury.