Zion Williamson

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.”

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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.

Southwest Notes: Williamson, Spurs, Mavs’ Sale, Morant

December 12th, 2023 at 8:05pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Following his poor performance during the in-season tournament last week, Zion Williamson received plenty of criticism in the media. He responded with a dominant performance against Minnesota on Monday, pouring in 36 points in the Pelicans’ 121-107 win.

As for the criticism, this is what Williamson had to say, as relayed by the New Orleans’ Times-Picayune’s Rod Walker: “If it comes from a great place, and a place where they want to see me do better, thank you. If it comes from anywhere else, everybody’s entitled to their own opinion. Can’t control that.”

However, there’s no guarantee he will play against the Wizards on Wednesday. Williamson suffered a left ankle sprain in the late going on Monday and is listed as questionable, Will Guillory of The Athletic tweets.

We have more from the Southwest Division:

The Spurs’ lack of a lead ball-handler was apparent once again in their 17th consecutive loss on Monday. They shot 5-for-41 from the field in the 93-82 loss to Houston and their point total was the lowest for any NBA team this season. Kelly Iko of The Athletic notes that former starting point guard Tre Jones logged just 16 minutes. “He’s definitely the floor general,” Keldon Johnson said. “He gets them (the second unit) into sets.”
While Mark Cuban is in the process of selling a majority stake in the Mavericks franchise, there’s one holdout among the minority owners. Mary Stanton informed the franchise she won’t be selling her stake at this time, according to Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News, who previously reported that all of the minority shareholders would be bought out. Stanton is the widow of Horace Ardinger, an original shareholder who bought a 4.13% stake in the franchise in 1980. A Board of Governors vote on the sale will be held on Dec. 20.
With the 25-game suspension of Grizzlies star Ja Morant nearing its end, he found himself testifying during the first day of an immunity hearing at Shelby County Circuit Court on Monday, Baxter Holmes of ESPN reports. Morant claimed he acted in self-defense when he punched a teenager at his home in July 2022. The incident occurred during a pickup basketball game. Morant said the teen struck him with a basketball. “I hit him first — to protect myself,” Morant said.

Southwest Notes: VanVleet, Mavs’ Sale, Pelicans, Williamson

December 11th, 2023 at 6:37pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Fred VanVleet is averaging 37.8 minutes per game, the highest mark of any NBA player besides Philadelphia’s Tyrese Maxey. VanVleet, who signed a whopping three-year, $128.5MM contract to join the Rockets this summer, doesn’t mind a heavy workload.

“I’m a gamer, man,” VanVleet told Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. “I never want to come out of the game. I’d play 48 if they would let me.”

VanVleet feels he needs to be on the court most of the time to organize his young teammates.

“Some of the things I bring, it’s hard to replace,” VanVleet said. “With such a young team, obviously, I have to do a little bit more. It’s something I have been accustomed to, and actually, I take a lot of pride in it.”

We have more from the Southwest Division:

The Mavericks franchise is even more valuable than previously reported. With Mark Cuban selling the majority share of the franchise to Las Vegas Sands Corp., the valuation is expected to be approximately $4 billion, according to Marc Stein (Twitter link). The valuation was previously said to be in the $3.5 billion range. A Board of Governors vote on the proposed sale is reportedly scheduled to take place on Dec. 2o.
The Pelicans entered their game against Minnesota on Monday still smarting from their in-season tournament semifinal loss to the Lakers, according to Christian Clark of the New Orleans Times Picayune. They lost by 44 points in a national-televised pounding. “We addressed the game,” coach Willie Green said. “… It was a letdown. It’s not our standard. It’s not who we’ve been. We wanted to get back to practice as soon as we could.”
It’s time for Pelicans forward Zion Williamson to show what he’s truly made of, William Guillory of The Athletic opines. After an embarrassing performance against the Lakers, Williamson took hits in the media, particularly for his weight and conditioning. Williamson needs to channel that criticism constructively and learn how to deal with failure, Guillory writes.

Zion Williamson Faces Questions About Conditioning, Effort

December 8th, 2023 at 2:36pm CST by Luke Adams

Zion Williamson scored just 13 points and grabbed a season-low two rebounds in 26 minutes of action during the Pelicans‘ blowout loss to the Lakers in Thursday’s in-season tournament semifinal. New Orleans was outscored by 33 points when he was on the court and ended up losing the game by 44.

After the game, TNT’s panel of analysts called out Williamson’s conditioning and effort level, with former star center Shaquille O’Neal suggesting he was “just like” Zion during his early years in the NBA in the 1990s.

“(He) does not run hard,” O’Neal said (Twitter video link). “It’s not a diss. It’s going to be a lesson from one great big man to another guy that can be a great big. Does not run hard. I had the same problem my first, second year. I thought I was running hard.”

Williamson’s poor conditioning was “painfully apparent” in Thursday’s loss, according to Christian Clark of The Times-Picayune, who suggests that the former No. 1 overall pick was carrying too much weight at the start of the season and hasn’t played himself into better shape. If anything, Clark says, Williamson’s conditioning has gotten worse since the season began.

As Clark details, Williamson’s poor work ethic has frustrated the Pelicans for years, with the club repeatedly encouraging the forward to improve his diet and his conditioning. Zion “doesn’t listen,” multiple team sources tell the Times-Picayune.

Williamson’s conditioning level this fall is particularly disappointing because Pelicans head of basketball operations David Griffin suggested multiple times ahead of the season that the former Duke star had made a concerted effort to improve in that area.

“The thing I think is important is CJ (McCollum) and Brandon (Ingram), throughout their careers, have always employed people to take care of their body, to take care of their nutrition,” Griffin told reporters at the team’s media day in October. “They are really invested in their profession. This was the first summer where we’ve seen Zion take his profession seriously like that and invest in it off the court on his own in a way that I think is meaningful.”

Griffin also said in September that Williamson had spent more time in the Pelicans’ gym this summer than he ever had before.

Williamson’s 22.2 points and 5.6 rebounds per game certainly aren’t bad numbers, but they would be career lows for him. He spoke on Thursday night about wanting to give the team more and needing to bring more energy to the floor.

“I gotta be more aggressive finding my shot. I gotta do more things to get my team going. I think I was too laid back tonight, and I can’t do that,” Williamson said, per Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports. “… I have a problem where I literally just try to hunt the best shot possible every time. But I just gotta trust my game.”

Southwest Notes: Murphy, Williamson, Brooks, Tillman

December 2nd, 2023 at 12:05pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Pelicans wing Trey Murphy tore the meniscus in his left knee in September, missing the first 19 games of New Orleans’ season. The injury was a major setback for a player who had increased his scoring average from 5.4 points per game in 2021/22 to 14.5 last season, establishing himself as one of the Pelicans’ key rotation pieces.

Murphy made his 2023 season debut on Friday, immediately picking back up where he left off. He scored 18 points in his return and helped the Pels to a 15-point victory over the Spurs.

“He’s been a big part of our success the last two seasons,” coach Willie Green said, per Christian Clark of NOLA.com. “We all were rallying for him to get on the floor and get back. It was like he didn’t miss a beat. Now it’s about building that chemistry with everyone on the team.”

The Pelicans, who have dealt with a litany of injuries over the past few seasons, are getting healthier and healthier. The only rotation player currently dealing with a long-term injury is Larry Nance Jr., who is out four-to-six weeks, a far cry from what the injury report has looked like in season’s past.

We have more from the Southwest Division:

Pelicans star forward Zion Williamson is expected to play in the team’s Saturday matchup against the Bulls, according to Green (Twitter link via ESPN’s Andrew Lopez). Lopez notes that this would be the first back-to-back Williamson has played this season. The two-time All-Star is averaging 23.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 5.0 assists this season.
The Rockets entered Friday tied for the fourth-best defense in the league, in large part to wing Dillon Brooks‘ contributions on the floor, according to The Athletic’s Kelly Iko. Iko breaks down Brooks’ unique approach to defense, including the fact that he guards players in an unconventional way — by clapping in their face. “I feel like everyone in the league knows I slap people’s hands on jump shots after the ball’s released,” Brooks told The Athletic. “So it puts a thought in their mind that when I close out, you’re not getting a free shot. When they work out, they’re so used to following through. But when I close out, I like to mix in different things like that.“
Grizzlies center Xavier Tillman played in Memphis’ Friday matchup with the Mavericks (Twitter link via team), playing 21 minutes and helping the Grizzlies to a 14-point win. Tillman had appeared in just one game since Nov. 3, so his return to the lineup is welcome for a Memphis team that won back-to-back games for the first time this season.

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