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And-Ones: Awards, Fredette, Silver, Early Entrants

April 28th, 2025 at 2:47pm CST by Luke Adams

After announcing Stephen Curry as this season’s Teammate of the Year on Monday afternoon, the NBA will unveil three more award winners later this week, according to the league (Twitter link).

The 2024/25 Rookie of the Year is scheduled to be announced on Tuesday at 7:00 pm Eastern time, with Most Improved Player to follow on Wednesday, 24 hours later. The league’s Sportsmanship Award winner will be revealed on Thursday at 12:00 pm ET.

Spurs guard Stephon Castle, Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher, and Grizzlies wing Jaylen Wells are the finalists for Rookie of the Year honors, while Pistons guard Cade Cunningham, Hawks guard Dyson Daniels, and Clippers center Ivica Zubac remain in the running for Most Improved.

The Sportsmanship Award isn’t one of the major ones voted on by media members — it’s voted on by players after league executives select six finalists, who were announced earlier this month. Those finalists are Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen, Lakers forward Dorian Finney-Smith, Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Celtics guard Jrue Holiday, Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving, and Magic forward Franz Wagner.

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

  • Less than a week after announcing his retirement as a player, former NBA lottery pick Jimmer Fredette has a new job. USA Basketball stated in a press release on Monday that Fredette has been named the first-ever managing director for Team USA’s 3×3 men’s national team. Fredette will be responsible for compiling USA Basketball’s coaching staff and roster for 3×3 international competitions, essentially taking on the same role that Grant Hill performs for the 5×5 men’s national team.
  • Appearing on ESPN’s Numbers on the Board podcast (YouTube link), NBA commissioner Adam Silver spoke about a number of topics, including whether shortening the regular season from 82 games is a viable possibility for player health reasons. While Silver said that “nothing is off the table,” his response suggested the idea of reducing the 82-game schedule is likely a long shot (YouTube clip).
  • We can probably expect a full, official list from the NBA in the coming days, but in the meantime, news of early entrants who declared for the 2025 draft ahead of Saturday’s deadline continues to trickle out. Here are a few more of the players who are testing the draft waters this spring:
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And-Ones: Warren, Baker, 2025 Draft, Banchero

February 27th, 2025 at 10:49pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Due to their hard cap, the Knicks are eligible to sign a 15th man to their roster as early as Friday. Free agent forward T.J. Warren is among the players on the New York’s radar and he’s currently suiting up for their G League affiliate in Westchester.

Warren said he’s valuing getting game experience while working his way back to the league. As SNY’s Ian Begley writes, Warren scored a Westchester-record 47 points in a game on February 7 and is averaging 24.9 PPG with a .357 3PT% (8.4 attempts per game).

“It’s been a blessing,” Warren said in an interview with SNY. “I just wanted to get some reps and get in the flow of playing basketball again and just show health. It’s been great being out here, mentoring the guys, just kind of showing them my experiences and teaching them the right way and having fun with it. Take advantage of every day. No wasted days.”

Warren last played in the NBA last year when he caught on with the Timberwolves for 11 games toward the end of the season. Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau praised the route Warren is taking to try to get back to the league.

“I have a lot of respect for what he’s doing,” Thibodeau said. “He’s had a terrific year and he’s been great down there.  For our young guys to watch somebody like that, who loves the game, great teammate and obviously he’s been terrific on the floor; I have a lot of respect for that.”

We have more from around the basketball world:

  • Robert Baker II officially joined ALBA Berlin prior to this week’s EuroLeague signing deadline, according to Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews (Twitter link). Baker, the president of the G League’s Players Union, has turned down multiple offers to join NBA front offices, according to Urbonas (Twitter link). The Osceola Magic, with whom Baker had been playing, confirmed the news in a press release (Twitter link via the Orlando Sentinel’s Jason Beede).
  • Cooper Flagg continues to prove why he’s the no-brainer No. 1 overall prospect in the 2025 draft, The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie writes in his latest big board. Dylan Harper (No. 2), Ace Bailey (No. 3), V.J. Edgecombe (No. 4) and Kasparas Jakucionis (No. 5) round out the rest of Vecenie’s top five. Outside of that, Vecenie takes a deeper dive into more under-the-radar guys, like Arizona’s Carter Bryant, San Diego State’s Miles Byrd and France’s Joan Beringer. I highly recommend checking out what Vecenie has to say about the rest of the class if you have a subscription to The Athletic, as his draft analysis is among the most in-depth.
  • In another piece related to the 2025 draft, The Athletic’s John Hollinger takes a closer look at three prospects, evaluating where they stand as the college season winds down. Hollinger agrees with Vecenie in that Bryant’s stock is on the rise, while Duke’s Khaman Maluach is stabilizing and Georgia’s Asa Newell is proving to be a bit more of a question mark. Hollinger also considers whether Edgecombe can push Harper for the No. 2 slot and discusses which prospect he believes is the most undervalued.
  • Former USA Basketball head coach Steve Kerr said he would be surprised if Magic forward Paolo Banchero isn’t on the 2028 Olympic team that competes in Los Angeles, according to Andscape’s Marc J. Spears (Twitter link). Kerr went on to say that Banchero actually almost made the cut for the 2024 team, per Beede (Twitter link). “He was right in the mix [until] the last second for Paris,” Kerr said. “That’s how strongly we felt about him in the Philippines during the [FIBA] World Cup. He’s such a talented guy and versatile. … he was right in the mix and ultimately it just came down to roster construction, what we needed. We ended up deciding more on guard play than frontcourt.“
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Kyrie Irving Considers Playing For Australia In 2028 Olympics

February 17th, 2025 at 9:01am CST by Arthur Hill

Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving, who won a gold medal with Team USA at the 2016 Olympics, is interested in representing Australia in the 2028 Games, writes Grant Afseth of Athlon Sports. Irving, who was born in Melbourne and has joint U.S. and Australian citizenship, has already explored the steps that would be necessary to make the change.

“Man, we’re in the process of that right now, just trying to figure out the best route for me to be eligible,” he said at All-Star Weekend. “There’s a lot of paperwork involved. Obviously, USA still has a decision to make, but for me, I’m just trying to do what’s best. Honestly, if I can be an Aussie at one point in my career and play for the Australian team, that would be great.”

Irving first floated the idea of switching teams last fall, Afseth adds. That came after he was passed over for the 2024 U.S. squad that captured gold in Paris, despite expressing his interest in playing to Team USA Managing Director Grant Hill on numerous occasions.

“I had communication with Grant throughout the season, but I think it was more or less a surprise that I wanted to play,” Irving said in an October interview with Sam Amick of The Athletic. “I think it was just a surprise that I wanted to play and [that] I was engaged. I speak on this from a healthy standpoint, like let me make sure that’s clear too. It wasn’t jealousy. It was like, ‘Oh, OK, this means that there’s an extra motivation, just naturally, where, OK, I guess 2028 [is the plan]?’ And maybe it’s not for Team USA. I’m just really proud of the [Team USA] guys, at the end of the day.”

Irving continues to put up elite numbers at age 32, averaging 24.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists in 44 games. However, Amick notes that he’ll be 36 when Los Angeles hosts the Games in 2028 and will face plenty of competition from younger American players.

His path toward an Olympic spot figures to be easier with Australia, although the Boomers have established themselves as one of the best teams in international basketball. Afseth states that Irving will need clearance from both USA Basketball and FIBA before he could play for Australia.

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And-Ones: Hayes, Micic, Baker, Bates-Diop, Europe

February 16th, 2025 at 9:24am CST by Rory Maher

Killian Hayes, the No. 7 overall pick of the 2020 draft, has been out of the NBA after being cut by the Pistons last February. The French point guard signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Nets in the offseason, but he sustained a hip injury which caused him to miss all of Brooklyn’s preseason games and was subsequently waived prior to the 2024/25 campaign.

Hayes has been playing for the G League’s Long Island Nets in the hopes of landing another NBA contract. The 23-year-old tells Scott Mitchell of NetsDaily he’s determined to make it back to the league.

“That’s my only goal is to get back to the NBA,” Hayes said. “There’s been talks for sure, but I guess we’ll see in the future what happens.”

As Mitchell writes, shooting has long been Hayes’ primary weakness as a player, as he was a solid play-maker and defender during his time in the NBA. He got off to a slow start during the Tip-Off Tournament this fall, averaging 13.1 points on .432/.290/.588 shooting splits in 15 games, but has caught fire of late during the NBAGL regular season, averaging 23.3 PPG on .570/.500/.890 shooting over his past seven contests.

“Putting in the work,” Hayes told Mitchell about how his shot has been developing. “Just being confident at the end of the day. I like how my shot is feeling. I like my chances when I shoot the ball. That’s one of the reasons I started going in, just to have that intent whenever I shoot.”

Here’s more from around the basketball world:

  • Former EuroLeague MVP Vasilije Micic is now on his third team in two NBA seasons, having failed to make a significant impact with Oklahoma City and Charlotte prior to being dealt to Phoenix ahead of the trade deadline. While he recently downplayed rumors of a potential return to Europe in the offseason, speculation continues to swirl that the 31-year-old Serbian will receive lucrative contract offers if he becomes a free agent this summer. According to Sotiris Vetakis of SDNA (Twitter link), Israel’s Hapoel Tel Aviv is prepared to offer the veteran guard a contract in the range of 4.5-5 million euros per season if he hits the open market (hat tip to Sportando). The Suns hold a $8.11MM team option on Micic’s contract for ’25/26.
  • G League forward Robert Baker (Osceola Magic) has replaced former NBA veteran Keita Bates-Diop on USA Basketball’s roster for the AmeriCup qualifying games this month, USAB announced in a press release. Bates-Diop also withdrew from the November qualifying window for unspecified reasons.
  • Speaking to Michael Long of SportsPro (subscription required), EuroLeague CEO Paulius Motiejunas said it “doesn’t make sense” for the NBA to potentially create another league in the continent. “To read comments about another league in Europe, for me personally, doesn’t make any sense,” Motiejunas said, per Johnny Askounis of EuroHoops.“We already have four different leagues. We, as EuroLeague, have the best product possible. I don’t think it’s something that should not be valued and understood and appreciated, because what the clubs and the league have achieved in 25 years, it’s amazing. I understand the NBA’s approach and I appreciate how big they are, it’s the number one basketball league in the world. But I don’t like the mentality that, ‘oh, we’ll come and we’ll teach everybody how it’s done’. Obviously, everybody wants to listen to the NBA or wants to see what they can offer. But to have five leagues, we’re forgetting the fans. You turn on the TV and you don’t know what team is playing what competition.”
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Team USA Announces Roster For February AmeriCup Qualifiers

February 10th, 2025 at 12:05pm CST by Luke Adams

Team USA has announced its 12-man roster for upcoming AmeriCup qualifiers games against Puerto Rico and the Bahamas, per a USA Basketball press release.

Four players will return to the team after representing the U.S. in the previous AmeriCup qualifying games in November. Those four players are as follows:

The following eight players will round out the roster, which will be coached by former Rockets head coach Stephen Silas:

While this obviously isn’t the sort of star-studded roster that Team USA would typically send to the World Cup or the Olympics, it features a good deal of NBA experience. Kopp is the only one of the 12 players on the team to have never appeared in an NBA regular season game.

Ramsey and Smart have been Team USA’s top scorers in previous AmeriCup qualifying windows, with Ramsey averaged 17.8 points per game on .511/.478/.824 shooting in four outings, while Smart put up 20.5 PPG on .714/.455/.667 in two games.

Covington has the most NBA experience of any player on the team, with 614 regular season NBA appearances on his résumé. Little is among the most notable newcomers — he appeared in 237 games for Portland and Phoenix over the past five seasons, but hasn’t been on an NBA roster since being waived by Miami in October.

Bates-Diop is another new addition worth noting. The former first-round pick has made 283 NBA appearances and was poised to play in November’s qualifying games before having to be replaced at the last minute.

The qualifying rounds for the 2025 AmeriCup feature 16 teams divided into four groups of four teams each. Each club plays the other members of its group twice, with the top three from each group (12 total) qualifying for this year’s AmeriCup tournament, which will take place from August 23-31 in Managua, Nicaragua.

Team USA went 3-1 in the previous two qualifying windows, beating each of the three teams in its group once but also dropping a game to Cuba (2-2). The U.S. will play in Puerto Rico (2-2) on Feb. 20 and in the Bahamas (1-3) on Feb. 23 as it looks to secure its AmeriCup ticket.

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And-Ones: Team USA, Practice Facility, Trade Deadline, Panic Meter

December 7th, 2024 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

With Steve Kerr not expected to return as Team USA’s head coach for the upcoming international basketball cycle that includes the 2027 FIBA World Cup and the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, USA Basketball and managing director Grant Hill will be tasked with selecting Kerr’s successor.

According to Joe Vardon of The Athletic, Hill has yet to begin the process of selecting the next U.S. head coach and is unlikely to name Kerr’s replacement anytime soon, since it would create several years of “unnecessary pressure” on that individual leading up to the 2027 and 2028 events, a source tells Vardon.

Still, it looks like there are two obvious frontrunners for the job, Vardon says, identifying Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra and Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue as the most logical candidates. Outside of their NBA résumés, which include championships, Spoelstra and Lue were the top assistants on Kerr’s staff in Paris during the 2024 Olympics. Both men indicated they’d be honored to be selected for the role, Vardon writes.

“I’d be willing to do anything for USA Basketball,” Spoelstra said. “That’s how it should be for anybody, for players and for staff members, if you’re asked. It’s such an honor and such a life experience, so you just do it. You don’t want to miss out on those experiences. And I would do any role.”

“Yeah, it sounds amazing,” Lue added. “To be the Olympic head coach in this building (the Clippers’ Intuit Dome), of course, everybody would look at that as a cool opportunity, but there’s a lot that goes into it. To be chosen to do that is an honor and a blessing, but it’s not something I’m hanging my hat on because it’s two years away and Spo was involved in USA Basketball before I even got here.”

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

  • There has been a clear trend over the last decade of NBA teams seeking a competitive edge by building new, state-of-the-art practice facilities, with 20 of the league’s 30 clubs opening new facilities since 2014, according to Josh Robbins of The Athletic. Robbins explores the “unrelenting contest of innovation and one-upmanship” involved in the “arms race,” with teams across the league looking to create advantages in the way they look after players and recruit free agents. “I would say if the standard of the facility is high-end, the players better be too,” Magic big man Moritz Wagner said when asked if a new practice facility can help a team win games. “I do think that the players feel that. I mean, there’s no excuse, right? There’s no excuse not to work every day when you have a place like that.”
  • How should the NBA’s 30 teams approach this season’s trade deadline? Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report digs into that topic, making a case for whether each club should buy, sell, or hold — or, in some cases, a combination of more than one. For instance, Pincus advocates for the Hawks, Spurs, Raptors, and Hornets to pursue “opportunistic improvement” rather than purely selling.
  • Law Murray of The Athletic rates a handful of teams on the “panic meter,” explaining that he thinks the Pacers and Pelicans have more reason to panic than the Lakers because L.A. has finished in play-in territory in each of the past two seasons and shouldn’t realistically expect to be much better than they’ve been so far this fall.
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And-Ones: Silas, Covington, Efficient Shooters, WBD, 2025 FAs

November 29th, 2024 at 8:55pm CST by Luke Adams

Stephen Silas was an NBA assistant for two decades from 2000-20, spending time in Charlotte, New Orleans, Cleveland, Golden State, and Dallas, establishing himself as a legitimate head coaching candidate and eventually being hired by Houston to fill that role.

However, Silas’ three-year stint with the Rockets didn’t go well. His .250 winning percentage (on a 59-177 record) is the worst in NBA history among 168 coaches with at least 200 games under their belts. His next stop wasn’t any better, as he spent the 2023/24 season as an assistant to Monty Williams on the 14-68 Pistons. Having been let go along with Williams this past offseason, Silas is coaching Team USA’s AmeriCup qualifying roster as he resets following a challenging few years.

“I’ve been enjoying the family time, and it’s important because, like, obviously my dad (former NBA player and coach Paul Silas) passed a couple years ago, and now I have a daughter who is a senior in high school, and I can actually go to the parent-teacher conferences and be there when she comes home and be there for homecoming and stuff like that,” Silas said, according to Joe Vardon of The Athletic. “It is really cool at a time that I probably needed to have after three years in Houston, one year in Detroit which wasn’t very successful. Kind of like take a step back, enjoy the fam’, do the USA thing. It’s really cathartic for me.”

As Vardon writes, a successful stint with USA Basketball could revitalize Silas’ stock and help him earn a new NBA role in 2025. Some of his players, such as Robert Covington and Frank Kaminsky, are also viewing their time with Team USA not just as an opportunity to represent their country but as a chance to show NBA teams they’re still capable of contributing.

“This is a great opportunity just to show people that I’m healthy,” Covington said. “I’ve got four or five years left of basketball in me.”

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

  • Mike Shearer of HoopsHype takes a look at 12 players who have significantly increased their shooting efficiency so far this season. As Shearer cautions, there’s no guarantee those players will maintain their efficiency spikes all season, but there are some interesting names on this list, including a handful who will be eligible for rookie scale extensions next summer (Christian Braun, Ochai Agbaji, and Bennedict Mathurin) and trade candidates like Nets teammates Cameron Johnson and Dorian Finney-Smith.
  • Warner Bros. Discovery – the parent company of TNT Sports – has been sued by investors who claim the company mischaracterized the impact that losing its NBA rights beginning in 2025 would have on its business. Winston Cho of The Hollywood Reporter has the story.
  • Danny Leroux of The Athletic looks ahead to next summer and previews the top players in the NBA’s 2025 free agent class, starting with stars like LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, Jimmy Butler, Brandon Ingram, and James Harden. Leroux also singles out Pacers center Myles Turner as a fascinating free agent to watch, since he has a coveted skill set for a big man and will be very much in his prime when he reaches the open market at age 29.
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And-Ones: Inside The NBA, Snell, Motley, Bledsoe, Draft

November 19th, 2024 at 12:55pm CST by Luke Adams

As expected, the NBA and Warner Bros. Discovery officially announced on Monday that they’ve settled their months-long legal battle, with Disney and WBD essentially making a trade of programming rights. TNT’s popular “Inside the NBA” studio show will air on ESPN/ABC beginning in 2025, while TNT will get the rights to broadcast 13 Big 12 football games and 15 Big 12 basketball games per season.

Andrew Marchand of The Athletic explores the role that ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro, who reached out directly to Luis Silberwasser of TNT Sports, played in the deal.

Meanwhile, Jimmy Traina of SI.com notes that one roadblock remains before “Inside the NBA” makes the move to Disney — Shaquille O’Neal‘s contract expires on July 1, 2025 and will need to be renewed. According to Traina, O’Neal wants to remain with the long-running program, but has been frustrated by announcements celebrating that the show will go on unchanged while his own future is still up in the air.

A source tells Marchand that O’Neal is ultimately expected to remain with “Inside the NBA,” though Traina notes that the former NBA MVP could explore other options with NBC or Amazon before ultimately deciding whether or not to stay put.

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

  • Veteran swingman Tony Snell has replaced Keita Bates-Diop on the Team USA roster for the upcoming FIBA AmeriCup qualifying games, tweets Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. The U.S. squad will play two games in Washington, D.C. during this month’s qualifier window, hosting Puerto Rico on November 22 and the Bahamas on November 25.
  • After recently leaving Hapoel Tel Aviv in Israel due to concerns about his safety, former Mavericks and Clippers big man Johnathan Motley is signing a G League contract, according Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report (Twitter link), who says Motley has drawn some NBA interest from teams in need of frontcourt depth. Aris Barkas of Eurohoops has more on Motley, whose decision to leave Hapoel Tel Aviv was a unilateral one that could result in the team initiating legal proceedings.
  • Former NBA guard Eric Bledsoe is returning to the Shanghai Sharks, the Chinese team with whom he has spent the past two seasons, according to Dario Skerletic of Sportando. Bledsoe, who will turn 35 next month, has appeared in 756 regular season NBA games but has been out of the league since he was waived by Portland in July 2022.
  • Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report has updated his 2025 NBA mock draft now that NCAA teams have a few games under their belts. The most notable update near the top of Wasserman’s board is at No. 4, with BYU’s Egor Demin moving into that spot on the heels of his strong start. The 6’9″ guard is averaging 17.0 points, 7.5 assists, and 2.3 steals per game in his first four outings, with a shooting line of .634/.550/.500.
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Team USA Roster Announced For AmeriCup Qualifying Tournament

November 13th, 2024 at 8:38pm CST by Arthur Hill

Twelve players have been selected to represent Team USA in the next phase of the AmeriCup Qualifying Tournament, USA Basketball announced in a press release. All 12 have at least some NBA experience, and seven have represented the U.S. in the past.

One of the most notable names is Robert Covington, an 11-year veteran who remains a free agent after spending last season with the Clippers and Sixers. This is the first USA Basketball experience for the 33-year-old forward.

Also on the team is big man Frank Kaminsky, who was with the Suns during training camp but was waived before the start of the season. Kaminsky was hoping to return to the NBA after playing for Partizan Belgrade in Serbia last season.

Veteran forward Keita Bates-Diop, who was waived by the Timberwolves before the season began, is another prominent name on the roster. Bates-Diop divided last season between the Suns and Nets.

Rounding out the team are Henry Ellenson, Dusty Hannahs, Nate Hinton, Jahmi’us Ramsey, Chasson Randle, Javonte Smart, David Stockton, Paul Watson and Malik Williams.

Team USA will play two games in Washington, D.C., hosting Puerto Rico on November 22 and the Bahamas on November 25. Training camp will begin Friday and will run through November 21.

Former Rockets head coach Stephen Silas will coach the team during competition windows in November and February. His assistants will include Patrick Ewing and Keith Smart.

The Americans went 1-1 in the first window, splitting their games with Cuba. They will travel to Puerto Rico and the Bahamas in February.

The qualifying rounds involve 16 teams that are divided into four groups of four teams each. Each team plays the other members of its group twice, with the top three from each group qualifying for the FIBA Men’s AmeriCup tournament, which will take place August 23-31 2025, in Managua, Nicaragua.

The qualifying games can be viewed for free by setting up an account on Courtside 1891.

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Southwest Notes: Morant, Zion, Pelicans, Mavericks

October 8th, 2024 at 8:31am CST by Luke Adams

Playing on Monday for the first time since January 5, Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant looked like he was rounding into top form in his 18 minutes of action vs. Dallas , contributing 13 points, four rebounds, and three assists in the team’s preseason opener.

However, Morant briefly exited the game and went to the locker room in the first half after turning his ankle, then appeared to have issues with the same ankle after returning before checking out of the game for good in the second half.

Speaking to reporters after the Grizzlies’ win, head coach Taylor Jenkins referred to the first half injury as a “minor tweak” and added that Morant experienced a little discomfort trying to push off the ankle in the second half, per Kelly Iko of The Athletic (Twitter link). According to Jenkins, Morant will be evaluated in the coming days, but his removal from the game was mostly precautionary.

For his part, Morant downplayed the issue in his own post-game media session, telling reporters that he’s “all good” and pointing out that he was able to walk fine (Twitter link via Michael Wallace of Grizzlies.com).

While it doesn’t sound at this point like the minor ankle injury will affect Morant’s availability for the Grizzlies’ regular season opener in a couple weeks, it’s worth keeping a close eye on the star guard after a season in which he was limited to just nine games due to a suspension and a shoulder injury. Memphis’ ability to bounce back in 2024/25 will hinge in large part on his ability to stay on the court.

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

  • Morant and Pelicans forward Zion Williamson, the top two picks in the 2019 draft, each have a pair of All-Star nods under their belts but have had stop-and-start ascents to stardom due to health issues and – in the case of the Grizzlies guard – off-court behavior, writes Joe Vardon of The Athletic. Vardon considers what heights the two young stars could still reach and explores their potential importance to USA Basketball, which could lose a handful of longtime stars like LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant by the next Olympics.
  • In a pair of stories for NOLA.com, Christian Clark highlights Williamson’s impressive preseason debut vs. Orlando on Monday and writes that the Pelicans believe they have the personnel necessary to finally reach their longtime goal of averaging 40 three-point attempts per game this season. It’s a lofty objective, given that only one team (Boston) cracked the 40-attempt threshold last season and New Orleans ranked 24th with 32.6 per game. “It’s manageable for the lineups we have out there,” reserve sharpshooter Matt Ryan said. “We are going to have so much shooting. So much guard and wing play.”
  • The Mavericks aren’t stressing the loss of reserve guard Dante Exum to a wrist injury, according to Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News, who notes that Spencer Dinwiddie and head coach Jason Kidd were among those to laud the backcourt depth on the roster. Dinwiddie – who called this iteration of the Mavs “the most talented team I’ve been on” – and Jaden Hardy are expected to get more opportunities with Exum out.
  • Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal (Substack link) and Curtis (Dallas Morning News subscriber link) each shared their takeaways from the Mavericks‘ training camp, discussing Klay Thompson‘s smooth integration, the impressive two-way versatility displayed by newcomer Naji Marshall, and Dereck Lively showing the potential to take another big step forward in his second NBA season.
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