During the 2021-22 regular season, Mitchell finished top 10 in scoring with 25.9 points per game. He shot 35.5 percent from deep in 9.8 attempts per contest. With 20.5 field goal attempts per game, he shot 44.8 percent from the floor overall. 

In the playoffs, he’s been an even more elite scorer. Mitchell has the third-most total points of any player in the playoffs—he’s produced 121 points through four games, good for 30.3 per game. 

Interestingly, he’s only shooting 39.6 percent from the floor and 23.5 percent from distance, meaning there’s still room for improvement. He’s been great in this opening series against the Dallas Mavericks, and while he’s ultimately scored 30 or more points in three out of four games thus far, it’s taken him a bit to get going. Mitchell has gotten off to a slow start in most of the matchups in this opening series, and he’s averaging 11.0 points in the first half (21st in NBA) and 19.3 points in the second half (first in NBA).

With that in mind, he’s been outstanding coming out of the half, averaging 10.8 points in the third quarter, which is tied for the second-most in the League this postseason. If Mitchell can start producing in both halves, he’ll be on a whole new level. 

After the Game 3 win, Mitchell spoke about how he can be better and the support and trust he has from everyone around him. 

“My teammates and my coaches trust me. The ball’s going to be in my hands, and I’ve got to make the right play.”

Putting up points in the playoffs isn’t new for Mitchell. He always hits a new level when the postseason comes around. Over the past three seasons, he’s been one of the League’s most prolific scorers in the postseason. 

• 2020: 36.3 PPG
• 2021: 32.3 PPG
• 2022: 30.3 PPG

The series is tied at 2-2, but one team will take the lead on Monday night. In December, the SLAM 235 cover star spoke about the Jazz’s playoff pursuits and how they need to “perform” when it counts.

“We’re a pretty good team, [but] we’ve got to perform when it’s time,” Mitchell told SLAM. “That’s no secret; that’s the biggest thing. We’re a good regular season team, and we’ve had success in the playoffs, but we haven’t had the ultimate success.”

Game 5 is set to take place in Dallas and will be just the second game of the series in which Luka Doncic suits up. At the rate Mitchell is going, the battle between him and Doncic will be spectacular the rest of the way. 

The post Built For The Postseason: Donovan Mitchell Continues Elevate in the Postseason appeared first on SLAM.

The Mavs pulled out to an early lead, but the Jazz chipped away in the third quarter. However, the Dallas defense showed out in the fourth quarter to secure the 126-118 victory. 

“We made timely shots and we made timely stops,” said Mavs coach Jason Kidd following the win.

In the absence of Doncic, Jalen Brunson continued to play like a star. After his 31-point performance in Game 3, he’s now averaging 32.0 points per contest in the series. 

Utah is in a tough situation after losing its first matchup of the series at home. Even without Doncic taking the floor yet again, the Mavericks have taken control of the series with a 2-1 lead. 

The Mavs were once again on fire from beyond the arc on Thursday night, converting on 18 of their 42 triples as a team. This was again sparked by forward Maxi Kleber, who is now 12-16 through his past two games. 

“When you’re a hot player, you’re a hot player,” said Kleber following Game 3. 

For the Jazz, the offense still hasn’t clicked in this series. The slump towards the end of the regular season has continued into the postseason to this point. While they scored 118 points tonight, it wasn’t enough as the scoring was stagnant in the first and fourth quarter. 

Overall, Utah looked solid offensively shooting 56.5% from the floor. It just wasn’t consistent enough to get the job done. 

After scoring zero points in Game 3, Mike Conley produced 21 points on 14 shots Thursday night. Bojan Bogdanovic scored 24 points while Donovan Mitchell produced 32 of his own. 

With that in mind, Mitchell still believes everything starts with defense for this Jazz team. 

“It starts defensively, and everything else falls into place,” he said postgame. 

For the first time this series, the rebounding battle was balanced. Both teams pulled down 32 boards on the night.  

This series is far from over, even if Doncic does return at some point. The Jazz have the talent to make things interesting down the stretch, and the Mavericks know that. 

“I’m proud of this team,” Brunson said postgame. “I’m proud of the fight that we have. They’re a team that’s not going to quit. They’re a good team.”

Game 4 will take place on Saturday in Utah. 

The post Mavericks Continue To Roll, Sealing Game 3 Road Victory Against Jazz appeared first on SLAM.

The differentiator in Game 2 was on the perimeter. Dallas was hot from beyond the arc all night, finishing 22-of-47 (46.8%) from that distance. Those 22 made 3-pointers set a new franchise-best for the postseason.

This was fueled by Maxi Kleber, who knocked down eight of his 11 attempts from deep. This was one make away from tying Jason Terry for the all-time postseason record for triples made in a game. 

Dallas made 17 uncontested 3-pointers in this contest, which is the most by any team in last ten postseasons. However, that’s not something the Mavericks are going to depend upon moving forward in this series. 

“It’s not live or die by the three. We’re not Golden State,” Spencer Dinwiddie said postgame. 

Furthermore, Jalen Brunson continued to shine in the absence of Doncic, finishing the night with a career-high 41 points. He also posted eight rebounds and five assists. From the moment the game tipped off, Brunson was in control of the offense. He became became the fifth member in the history of the Mavericks to score at least 40 points in a playoff game.

“He’s gonna make a lot of money,” said Mavs coach Jason Kidd of Brunson who is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer. “I don’t know if he needs an agent. It’s not just what he did tonight. He’s shown he deserves to be paid.”

What was perhaps most impressive about Brunson’s night was that he kept the offense in rhythm, which helped Dallas take care of the ball. Brunson became the first player in Mavericks history with 40 points and zero turnovers in a playoff game. 

As a team, Dallas committed just three turnovers, which is a franchise record since that statistic began being tracked in 1982. 

Again, it took a historic night for the Mavs to pull off the much needed win. Now, they’ll head to Utah for the next two games of the series. Although the Jazz would have preferred to win both games without Doncic in the lineup this far, they’re still confident moving forward. 

“Two wins is great, but one win is good. We have to make adjustments,” said Rudy Gobert postgame. “It’s a marathon.” 

Jazz coach Quin Snyder has a similar mindset entering Game 3, realizing there’s still a ton of basketball left to be played. 

“This is the playoffs,” said Snyder after the loss. “It’s 1-1, we’re going back home. It’s a seven-game series.”

Utah struggled to defend the perimeter, which ultimately led to Dallas getting whatever it wanted offensively all over the court. 

“This is something we can fix,” said Donovan Mitchell postgame. 

A true x-factor in this series, veteran Mike Conley was held to zero points in Game 2, missing all seven of his shot attempts. Especially if Doncic comes back into the fold later in the series, Conley will need to contribute more offensively.  

Nonetheless, it’s a tied series with the Jazz hosting the next two games. Regardless of the personnel they’re up against, it’s a clean slate with five games remaining. 

“We are not going to overreact,” said Mitchell after Game 2. “We just have to go home and try and take care of business. They are going to try and get a split like we got a split here.”

Utah continues to dominate the boards with its size, but that proved to not be enough with the Dallas bigs knocking down triples at a high rate in Game 2. 

Moving forward, the status of Doncic will be a huge swing in how this series ends.  

The post Mavericks Ride Historic Night To Game 2 Victory Over Jazz appeared first on SLAM.

As Doncic continues to work towards a return, he’s now spent the last two days doing light workouts in Dallas. On Sunday afternoon, he appeared to look better but was still nowhere near full strength.

“We’ll see how he feels tomorrow,” said Mavs coach Jason Kidd after practice on Sunday. Kidd wouldn’t commit to whether or not Doncic would suit up in tomorrow’s game.

Shortly after practice on Sunday, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Doncic is “unlikely” to play in Game 2 on Monday barring a dramatic improvement leading up to the contest.

This would be a huge blow for the Mavericks, who need Doncic to get anywhere close to their ceiling as a team. One of the best players in the entire NBA, his health will dictate the success of Dallas in the postseason. The Mavericks have also listed Doncic as doubtful to play in Game 2.

If the Mavs aren’t able to pull off a win on Monday, they’ll head to Utah for Game 3 and Game 4 on the road in an 0-2 hole. Even if Doncic were able to return at that point, it would be an uphill battle to win the series.

The post REPORT: Mavericks Star Luka Doncic ‘Unlikely’ To Play In Game 2 Against Jazz appeared first on SLAM.

Entering the game, the Mavs knew they’d be without their best player in Luka Doncic. However, even without their star they nearly beat the Jazz. 

 “Hopefully he gets healthy,” said Jazz coach Quin Snyder. “You always want a great player to get the opportunity to play, whether he’s on your team or the other.”

Utah ultimately won Game 1 by a final score of 99-93. It was a contest in which scoring wasn’t plentiful, but also didn’t lack excitement. In a game of runs, it truly came down to the final minutes to determine a winner. 

When it came down to it, the size difference between the two rosters was the primary factor. The Mavericks lack a dominant 7-footer, as Dwight Powell and Maxi Kleber (both 6-foot-10) filled out the center rotation on Saturday afternoon. 

That’s simply not enough size to match up against the Utah centers in Rudy Gobert and Hassan Whiteside, who are both 7-foot-1. Additionally they’re both traditional bigs that are great on the glass. This proved to be a key differentiator, as Dallas was outrebounded 53 to 34. 

“We’ve just gotta rebound the ball, especially playing small. It’s just something we’ve gotta get better at,” said Mavs coach Jason Kidd postgame. 

Regardless of when Doncic comes back, the battle on the boards is going to continue to be important. This series could ultimately come down to the style of play. If the Jazz continue to outmatch the Mavs with their size, they’ll have a huge advantage. On the flip side, if Dallas can have success with its small ball lineups and play Gobert and Whiteside off the floor, things could swing in the favor of the Mavericks. 

Both teams failed to score 100 points in Game 1, so every bucket really mattered throughout the contest. It was a tale of two halves for the Jazz, as Bojan Bogdanovic carried the offense in the first half while Donovan Mitchell shouldered the load in the second. 

Of the 45 points Utah scored in the first half, Bogdanovic account for nearly half with 20. In the second half, Mitchell produced 30 of his 32 points on the afternoon. 

While the Jazz didn’t have a consistent primary scorer across the entire game, they got the points they needed in bunches from two of their best offensive players. Gobert finished with just five points on one field goal attempt, but made his impact on the glass and on defense. 

“We had a chance, held them under 100 points. That was tough,” said Spencer Dinwiddie after the loss. 

Although Utah came out on top in Game 1, Dallas should feel extremely optimistic. Without their best player, the Mavericks legitimately had a shot to win. You could argue that when Doncic comes back, the Mavs should be favorites the rest of the way.  

The guard duo of Dinwiddie and Jalen Brunson combined for 46 points, but will need to be more efficient moving forward. Those two took a total of 39 shots to produce those points. 

The Mavs started hot from beyond the arc, but cooled off as the game went on. They finished 9-of-32 (28.1%) from deep on the afternoon. If just a couple more of those shots would have gone down, the outcome of this game could have easily been different. 

The Jazz got the win, but it wasn’t necessarily convincing against a shorthanded Mavericks team. This series could still go either way. 

“We’ve got to do a better job of making the easy shots,” said Brunson looking ahead to the next matchup. “We missed a lot of easy shots. Gotta follow our game plan and stick together.”

Game 2 will take place in Dallas once again on Monday evening. 

The post Jazz Win Game 1 With Size, Mavericks Feel Optimistic Moving Forward appeared first on SLAM.

In the Western Conference, one of the most anticipated matchups is between the Dallas Mavericks (No. 4) and Utah Jazz (No. 5) which is a series that will begin on Saturday night. The Mavericks finished the regular season with a record of 52-30, which gave them the slight edge on the Jazz (49-33) for home court advantage. As such, Dallas will host the first two games of the series and also Game 7 if it’s needed. This could become a huge advantage to get the series off on the right foot and potentially close it out at home.

Any advantage will be key for the Mavs, as their superstar in Luka Doncic is expected to miss Game 1 and potentially Game 2 with a calf strain.

The Mavericks had a fairly slow start to the season, but ultimately got better as it went on. Gradual growth and improvement is a good sign for Dallas, as the team could be peaking at the right time. Early in the season, Jalen Brunson began to emerge as a legitimate piece of the roster. He’ll be a primary scorer for the Mavs during the postseason. Alongside him in the backcourt will be Spencer Dinwiddie, who was the cornerstone piece of the Kristaps Porzingis trade with the Washington Wizards at the deadline.

While defense was something that’s held the Mavericks back during the past few seasons, it’s been a strength in the 2021-22 campaign. They finished the regular season as the seventh-best team on that end of the floor with a defensive rating of 101.9. Additionally, Dallas was well-disciplined and took great care of the ball. The Mavs’ 1025 turnovers on the season were the third-fewest of any team.

Lacking a dominant center could detrimental for the Mavs in this series, as they’ll go up against a a deep frontcourt team. Utah was a top-three rebounding team this season, while the Mavericks finished 24th in the league. On the flip side, if Dallas is able to have success using their unique floor-spacing bigs and small ball lineups, Utah could have to play out of character to match up.

Dallas hasn’t won a playoff series since its championship run back in 2011. As such, the Mavs are on one of the longest active droughts in the NBA when it comes to winning a postseason series. Could this be the first time in over a decade that they advance past the first round?

If the Mavericks are going to have success without Doncic, it will likely come down to Dinwiddie and Brunson. Both have been extremely effective this season whether their superstar teammate is on the floor or not. If they struggle while Doncic is out, the Jazz could jump out to an early series lead before heading back to Utah.

Utah had a strong start to the season, but has really struggled of late. In fact, the Jazz went just 7-8 over their final 15 games of the season. While Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell have been great once again, the production from the role players around them has been fairly inconsistent. There’s no question Utah has the pieces to make a championship push, but will they all come together and play at the top of their games when it matters most? Scoring shouldn’t be a problem, as Bojan Bogdanovic, Jordan Clarkson and Mike Conley are able to score 20 points each on any given night.

During the regular season, the Jazz took second-most shots from deep (40.3 per game) and knocked down 36.0% of them. They also did a great job at getting to the rim and drawing fouls, finishing fourth in the league in free throw attempts this season with 23.4 per game. These are just some of the things that led Utah to the top offensive rating (11.2) in the NBA this season. What’s most interesting about the Jazz offense is that it’s heavily in isolation, as they were bottom five in both assists per game and assist percentage.

However, the playoffs are all about superstars and who can get a bucket when it’s needed, so perhaps that style of play will work in Utah’s favor. The Jazz also don’t take a ton of shots, playing with a slower pace and attempting the sixth-fewest shots in the league this season. This isn’t dissimilar from the Mavericks, who were in the bottom five in terms of field goal attempts in the regular season.

One of the best defenders in the entire NBA, Gobert will be a major factor on that end of the floor against the Mavs. Since the All-Star break, he’s limited opponents to 39.1% when he’s the closest defender.

The duo of Mitchell and Gobert has certainly had its flaws in the past. If the Jazz aren’t able to get out of the first round this season, could it be time for a major roster shakeup? It seems this series could directly impact what the Utah roster looks like moving forward.

In four games during the 2021-22 campaign, the Jazz and Mavericks have split the regular season series. Utah won the first two matchups of the season, while Dallas won the two more recently. That’s indicative of the seasons these two teams have had, as the Jazz looked better to start but the Mavs have been better down the stretch.

Outside of the primary stars in this series, there are several players for both teams that could really impact the outcomes. For Utah, Conley and Rudy Gay are veterans that have the experience to shine in the big moments. However, if they struggle the Jazz could have a rough series. For Dallas, Davis Bertans and Reggie Bullock will be important offensively, as they have the firepower to fill it up from beyond the arc. If they aren’t converting from deep and producing points, the Mavericks’ offense could stall.

The post NBA Playoff Preview: Dallas Mavericks Take On Utah Jazz appeared first on SLAM.

The NBA has implemented a play-in tournament to decide the seventh and eighth seeds in each conference. This gives the top ten teams in the East and West a chance to make it into the postseason. 

Each conference will have a short tournament that showcases the eighth through tenth seeds. In a single-game two round event, the seventh and eighth seeds can make the playoffs with one win. The ninth and tenth seeds need to win twice in order to advance to the playoffs. 

In the Western Conference, a matchup between the New Orleans Pelicans (No. 9) and San Antonio Spurs (No. 10) will take place on April 13 at 9:30 PM ET. 

The winner of this game will advance to the final round of the play-in tournament against the loser of the matchup between the seventh and eighth seed for one final shot to make it into the postseason. The loser will be eliminated and officially begin their offseason. 

New Orleans finished the season with a 36-46 record, good for the No. 9 seed in the Western Conference. Over their last ten games, the Pelicans have been .500 which is good relative to the rest of the season.

Getting to the rim often, New Orleans draws a ton of fouls and are top-five in the NBA at getting to the line. The Pelicans should hope this game doesn’t turn into a shootout, as they don’t take or make many shots from beyond the arc. 

Since trading for CJ McCollum back in early February, the Pelicans have looked like a different team. Despite being without Zion Williamson, New Orleans has gone 15-14 since that trade occurred. 

The Spurs finished the season as the No. 10 seed in the West with a record of 34-47. Winning huge games down the stretch to make the play-in tournament, San Antonio won seven of its final 11 contests. 

One of the most well coached teams in the league, the Spurs play very disciplined. This will be important in this game against the Pelicans. On the flip side, they struggle from the free throw line which could be important late in the game if it’s a close contest. 

Since the All-Star break, the Spurs have been much improved, being roughly a .500 team since that milestone. 

These teams played four times this season, with the Spurs winning the season series 3-1. The Pelicans and Spurs matched up twice in March, splitting those two contests. Outside of the most recent game between these two teams, every outcome was very lopsided. 

The duo of McCollum and Brandon Ingram will be fascinating in this matchup. They’ll need to be effective offensively to combat the versatility that Dejounte Murray brings to the Spurs’ offense.

The post 2022 NBA Play-In Tournament: New Orleans Pelicans Match Up With San Antonio Spurs appeared first on SLAM.

The NBA has implemented a play-in tournament to decide the seventh and eighth seeds in each conference. This gives the top ten teams in the East and West a chance to make it into the postseason. 

Each conference will have a short tournament that showcases the eighth through tenth seeds. In a single-game two round event, the seventh and eighth seeds can make the playoffs with one win. The ninth and tenth seeds need to win twice in order to advance to the playoffs. 

In the Western Conference, a matchup between the Minnesota Timberwolves (No. 7) and LA Clippers (No. 8) will take place on April 12 at 9:30 PM ET. 

The winner of this game will advance to the postseason while the loser will have one final shot to make it in against the winner of the game between the ninth and tenth seed.

Minnesota finished its 2021-22 campaign with a record of 46-36, earning the No. 7 seed in the West. After starting the season 11-15, the Wolves went 35-21 the rest of the way. 

The Timberwolves have been great on the offensive glass this season, which should be key for them in this matchup. However, they struggle to take care of the ball at times which could be detrimental. 

Since the All-Star break, Minnesota has been on fire. Since that mark, the Wolves have been a top-five team in the NBA when it comes to win percentage. 

The Clippers battled injuries all season, but still locked up the Western Conference’s No. 8 seed with a record of 42-40. Since getting Paul George back from injury, they’ve looked better and have won six of their last seven games. 

The Clips are a great 3-point shooting team, finishing top-three in that category this season. On the flip side, they struggle on the glass and were bottom ten during the regular season. 

The Clippers were a team that never gave up this season, overcoming numerous deficits and winning a ton of comeback games. 

In the four matchups this season between these teams, the Clippers won the season series 3-1. LA won the first three games of the year against Minnesota, but the Timberwolves won the most recent. All three of the Clippers’ wins came in November, while the Wolves won the most recent game in January. 

Since these teams haven’t played in several months, both rosters look different and they’re each playing at a different level. 

The player to watch in this matchup is George, who will determine the Clippers’ ceiling in the play-in tournament and the postseason in general. For the Timberwolves, their superstar trio of Karl-Anthony Towns, D’Angelo Russell and Anthony Edwards is one of the best in the NBA.

The post 2022 NBA Play-In Tournament: Minnesota Timberwolves Match Up With LA Clippers appeared first on SLAM.

While there’s been optimism all season that Denver could get one or both of these guys back for the playoffs, those hopes are starting to fade. 

As first reported by Shams Charania of The Athletic, Murray and Porter Jr. will both miss the final game of the regular season and are “unlikely” to return during the postseason. 

Despite being without these two key pieces for nearly the entire season, the Nuggets have played very well. Entering the final day of the regular season, they’re tied for the fifth seed in the Western Conference with a record of 48-33. 

Reigning MVP Nikola Jokic has once again been spectacular this season, carrying Denver throughout the season as they played shorthanded.

Anytime Jokic is on the floor, Denver has a chance to win. As such, the Nuggets are a team nobody should want to play in the first round of the playoffs. 

The post Denver Nuggets Could Be Without Two Key Pieces In Playoffs appeared first on SLAM.

The 7-footer has scored a total of 232 points while shooting 70.6% from the floor over his past seven games. No player in NBA history has scored more points over a seven-game span in which they’ve shot at least 70% from the field.

Not only is Jokic scoring a ton of points, but he’s doing it efficiently. 

Over this stretch, Denver has gone 5-2 in its effort to climb the Western Conference standings. As we enter the final week of the regular season, every game counts. The Nuggets just recently moved up into the fifth seed, jumping the Utah Jazz. 

During his last seven games, Jokic has also produced 14.4 rebounds and 7.7 assists per contest. He’s once again an MVP candidate, doing whatever it takes to get his team wins down the stretch. 

With a record of 47-32, Denver has just three games remaining in the regular season. 

The post Nikola Jokic Is Making History Down The Stretch Of The Regular Season appeared first on SLAM.

In fact, Los Angeles has the eighth-worst record in the NBA at this point. 

If the Lakers are going to make the play-in, they’ll need to climb one spot in the standings and earn the tenth seen. The team currently in that slot is the San Antonio Spurs. 

On Sunday night, the Lakers lost to the Denver Nuggets while the Spurs beat the Portland Trail Blazers. This just created even more of an uphill battle for Los Angeles in its pursuit of the postseason. 

With just four games left in the 2021-22 season for the Lakers, they’re a full two games behind San Antonio for that final play-in spot. Not only will they have to get close to winning out, but they’ll also need the Spurs to lose quite a few of their final games. 

At this point, the Lakers no longer fully control their own fate. In a season filled with injuries, it may all be for nothing. Additionally, the Lakers don’t even own their first-round pick in the upcoming draft which is projected to be in the top ten. 

The post Lakers Lose Again, Lowering Chances Of Making Play-In Tournament appeared first on SLAM.

Over the past week or so, playoff positioning has gotten even tighter as the Mavericks fluctuate between the third and fourth seed in the Western Conference. Entering the most important part of the regular season, Dallas star Luka Doncic has been playing at a whole new level. 

In a huge win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday, he produced 32 points, 15 assists and eight rebounds. Against the best teams in the league, Doncic always shines. 

It was his fifth-straight game with at least 30 points. Although he doesn’t have a true co-star on this roster, Doncic has the talent to single-handedly win regular season games for Dallas. 

The young superstar is quietly playing as well as anyone in the entire NBA of late. 

The post Luka Doncic Continues To Carry Mavericks Up Standings appeared first on SLAM.

In late February, Giddey was removed from the active lineup with hip soreness. However, that lingered into March as he’s missed more than a month of games to this point. 

With just two weeks left in the 2021-22 season, he’s officially being shut down. Thunder coach Mark Daigneault announced on Saturday night that Giddey will miss the remainder of the season with this hip soreness. 

Even though he’ll end up missing the last two months of the season, Giddey will almost certainly make one of the NBA All-Rookie teams. 

In 54 games this season (all starts) Giddey produced 12.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 6.4 assists per contest. He became the youngest player in the history of the NBA to notch a triple-double and projects to be among the best players in this class when it’s all said and done. 

With the Thunder seeking yet another top pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, another potential star could be joining Giddey in Oklahoma City next season.  

The post Thunder Rookie Josh Giddey Out For Season appeared first on SLAM.

Since his return, he’s averaged 30.4 points, 7.3 assists and 58 rebounds through 13 contests. Now, it appears his season could be in jeopardy.

With just a handful of games remaining in the 2021-22 campaign, Thunder coach Mark Daigneault says there’s a decision that still needs to be made on whether it’s worth him playing the rest of the way. Before Saturday’s game against the Denver Nuggets, Daigneault gave an update on Gilgeous-Alexander’s status. 

“We’re going to have a conversation with him in the next couple of days, just to discuss the rest of the year,” said Daigneault. “The game-to-game thing is not sustainable, just in terms of just in and out on a nightly basis. We’re obviously just running out of games here til the end of the year. We’ll sit down and talk with him and when we have an update, we’ll give it to you.”

When asked when that conversation would happen, Daigneault mentioned it would be discussed in the coming days. 

“We don’t have it on the books, but we’ll give you an update when we have it,” said the Thunder coach. 

At this point in the season, Oklahoma City is out of the playoff race. With Gilgeous-Alexander’s future being more important than the current moment, it would make sense to potentially shut him down for the final two weeks of the season to be cautious. 

The post Thunder Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s Season In Jeopardy appeared first on SLAM.

While the Nets still have the talent to make a splash in the playoffs, they’re just 39-35 on the season. However, Irving hinted at signing a new deal to stay in Brooklyn longer and continue a pursuit of an NBA championship. 

“For me, it has always been about being comfortable and loving where I’m at. I love it here,” Irving told reporters recently. “Once that summertime hits, I know we’ll have some conversations but there’s no way I could leave my man 7 [Kevin Durant] anywhere.”

At 30 years old, Irving is eligible for a five-year $246 million contract if he declines his player option this summer. That scenario unfolding would keep him under contract through 2026-27, a year past the end of Durant’s current deal. 

As of now, it appears the duo of Irving and Durant could be the face of Brooklyn for the foreseeable future. 

The post Nets Guard Kyrie Irving Hints At Re-Signing In Brooklyn appeared first on SLAM.

The dynamic trio of Karl-Anthony Towns, D’Angelo Russell and Anthony Edwards is beginning to mesh. 

During its recent stretch of success, Minnesota has emerged as a legitimate contender in the West and has the chance to avoid the play-in tournament. With a record of 42-30, the Timberwolves are on the cusp of taking over the sixth seed in the conference outright. 

This has resulted in the team playing with a ton of confidence, with Towns leading the team on both ends of the floor. 

“Any time we step on the court, we should win. Simple as that. There’s no excuse. We don’t feel that we should lose to anybody. We feel we can beat anybody. So, every time we walk into the arena, we feel we should win,” Towns told reporters on Friday. 

The Timberwolves are a team that nobody should feel comfortable matching up with in the first round of the playoffs. In the NBA, it’s all about getting hot at the right time. 

Down the final stretch of the season, Minnesota has looked like one of the best teams in the league. 

The post Timberwolves Star Karl-Anthony Towns: ‘We Can Beat Anybody’ appeared first on SLAM.

Just before the NBA All-Star break, superstar point guard Chris Paul fractured his thumb. Over the past few weeks in his absence, the Phoenix Suns have still played great, pulling away with the league’s best record at 58-14. 

However, Paul will be key for the Suns in the postseason as the look to make another trip to the NBA Finals. 

When is Paul expected to return to the lineup?

Over the weekend, Phoenix coach Monty Williams said that there still isn’t a timetable for Chris Paul’s return yet. However, he did mention that the 12-time All-Star is doing “more and more” in his recovery from a fractured thumb.

“I’d rather have him back sooner than later,” Williams added. 

Prior to his injury, Paul had averaged 14.9 points and 10.7 assists per contest in the 2021-22 season. One of the best point guards in the NBA, Phoenix will need him back if a championship is to be won. As talented as the Suns are from top to bottom, Paul is perhaps the most important player on the roster.  

With the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference essentially locked in, it makes sense for the Suns to be cautious in Paul’s return to action. 

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With that in mind, there’s optimism that Murray has the change to get back on the court this season as he recovers from an ACL injury. Over the past several weeks, he has made strides towards getting back on the floor, increasing the amount of work he’s been able to do on the court in practice and training. 

However, Murray’s official return to action might still take more time. 

As first reported by Mike Singer of The Denver Post, Nuggets coach Michael Malone mentioned over the weekend that Murray is “not close” to returning to the lineup. 

Denver is set to make the playoffs and could use Murray if the team wants to make a splash. One of the best players on the team, he’s an elite creator and scorer. 

The now 25-year-old was great last season, when he averaged 21.2 points, 4.8 assists and 4.0 rebounds per contest. Murray also converted on 40.8% of his 6.6 attempts from deep through 48 games last season. 

If he’s able to come back this season, Denver will be dangerous in the playoffs. If not, the Nuggets might struggle to compete with other teams that have fully healthy rosters. 

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Currently recovering from a knee injury, Wiseman is playing in the G League for the Warriors’ Santa Cruz affiliate. Over the past couple of games, he has looked spectacular. 

In a 110-107 win over the G League Ignite on Sunday, the 7-footer produced 19 points and 14 rebounds. 

This came right after an 18-point performance earlier in the week. As the 20-year-old gets back to full strength, he could be a huge piece for the Warriors. 

While most young players don’t get a ton of time in the postseason, Wiseman has the size that could be useful for Golden State in limited action. Last season, he averaged 11.5 points and 5.8 rebounds per game with the struggling Warriors. 

This season upon his return, his role will look very different. However, he could still be another key piece in certain situations as the Warriors look to win a championship.

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Since that deal was made, Dallas has gone 9-2 and looks as good as it has all season. 

A huge part of the Mavericks’ recent success has been Dinwiddie, who’s playing the best basketball of his 2021-22 season. Since coming to Dallas, he’s averaged 17.5 points and 4.5 assists per contest while shooting 44.2% from deep. 

Splitting time between the bench and as a starter, Dinwiddie has proven to be effective in any role. Whether it’s playing alongside Luka Doncic or facilitating with the second unit, he’s been stellar. 

In fact, on Sunday afternoon against the Boston Celtics, he hit a game-winning triple. 

It’s still unclear whether the Mavs will have the star power to make a splash in the playoffs, but they’ve been solid over the past couple of weeks with their new-look roster. If Dinwiddie can continue playing at this level, Dallas will only continue winning games and climb the Western Conference standings.

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With that in mind, they’ve faced several major injuries. Most notably, starting center Brook Lopez has missed the entire season outside of opening night. 

As first reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Lopez is set to return back to the lineup on Monday against the Utah Jazz after an absence of three months following back surgery. He should be a huge piece defensively for the reigning champs, as the Bucks are outside of the top ten in defensive rating for the first time under coach Mike Budenholzer.

Last season Lopez played in 70 games (all starts), producing 12.3 points and 5.0 rebounds while knocking down 33.8% of his attempts from deep. Almost 34 years old, the one-time All-Star will be a huge help down the final stretch of the regular season and into the playoffs for Milwaukee. 

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While it was expected that Simmons would take some time to ramp up mentally and physically before making his Nets debut, it appears he won’t be on the court as soon as many would like. On Mar. 10, the Nets and Sixers face off, which would be highly anticipated for Simmons. 

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski recently reported that Simmons likely will not be available to play in this upcoming contest. 

“There’s tremendous urgency around the Nets to get Ben Simmons on the court, get him incorporated and playing with his team,” said Wojnarowski. “Simmons is going to join them at some point. The Nets hope is when Brooklyn gets back after Thursday’s game in Philly. Simmons at that point will be ready to start getting on the floor with his teammates, increasing his workload and getting closer to returning.”

Last season, Simmons averaged 14.3 points, 7.2 rebounds and 6.9 assists per contest. Following a disappointing playoff exit and tension between himself and the team, Simmons’ future with the team was in jeopardy, which ultimately led to this trade going down at the following deadline. 

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After the game, Durant was asked about his thoughts on joining the exclusive group that has scored 25,000 career points. 

“I should be at 30 right now to be honest,” Durant replied. 

Durant is the third active player to reach this milestone, joining LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony as the only current players in the league.

A 12-time all-star, Durant is one of the best scorers this league has ever seen. He’s got the height of a center, but also has the ball handling, facilitating and shooting ability of a guard. As such, he’s nearly impossible to defend. 

On his career, Durant is averaging 27.1 points per game while shooting 49.5% from the floor. 

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The 7-foot-2 forward can make an impact both in the paint and on the perimeter. He’s also shown flashes of being a dominant defender at points in his career as well. 

On Sunday night, Porzingis made his debut as a member of the Wizards and had a productive performance. In a big win over the Indiana Pacers, he finished with 25 points, five rebounds and two blocks. 

While the Wizards likely won’t make the playoffs this season with Bradley Beal out for the year, Porzingis could emerge as a legitimate complimentary piece alongside him. Moving forward, Washington could end up being very happy the Porzingis trade was made. 

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With that in mind, it might be a while longer before he makes his debut in Brooklyn. 

As first reported by The Athletic’s Shams Charana, Simmons is dealing with back soreness in reconditioning process that requires further strengthening of the area over a period of time before return to action.

Nets coach Steve Nash was asked about this following the report, giving a transparent answer about Simmons’ situation. 

“I just saw the reports. It’s been the same process. It’s just a little soreness in his back,” said Nash on Saturday evening. “It’s not like an injury, it’s just as he’s returning to play, his back has flared up a little bit. He hasn’t played a game since June so that’s just part of his process of returning to play is as you ramp up, he’s a little sub septic to certain things as you would be with muscle soreness or tightness. He’s got a little tightness.”

While Nash considers this more of a normal occurrence after not playing for the entire season rather than an injury, it’s still something to monitor. Currently sitting at eighth in the Eastern Conference with a record of 32-29, they’re projected to be part of the play-in tournament despite having such a talented roster. 

Last season, which was the last time Simmons played, he averaged 14.3 points, 7.2 rebounds and 6.9 assists per contest.

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The Orlando Magic guard was starting to have a breakout 2020-21 campaign that was derailed by a left ACL injury. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft was averaging career bests in points (14.3) and assists (6.1) in the seven games that season. 

Now, after over a year of recovery, he’s set to make his return on Monday night against the Indiana Pacers. 

“I’m just blessed just to be able to, one, be where I am today after going through an injury like this and being able to fight and just be back on the court with my brothers and friends,” said Fultz during his appearance on the Orlando Magic Pod Squad. “So, one, I’m just blessed and I’m thankful for the process and the journey that I’ve been through. I’m very excited just to get out there with my teammates and go out there and compete.”

The Magic are still rebuilding, but have a ton of young talent. Getting Fultz back is just another step in the right direction, as the 23-year-old could still be a franchise cornerstone. 

“I feel a lot stronger this time around,” Fultz says. “This injury has helped me work on a lot of things. This is probably the best my body has felt in a long time. I’m talking about full body. I can feel my muscles. I can identify certain things in my body. Just all around, core, conditioning, I think this is probably the best I’ve felt coming back and being able to play basketball.”

If he’s able to come back and play at the level he was before the injury, Orlando will be getting a starting caliber guard moving forward. There’s a reason Fultz was the top overall pick in his class. 

The post Former No. 1 Pick Markelle Fultz Set to Make Return Monday Night appeared first on SLAM.

Bagley has averaged 11.5 points and 5.5 rebounds while shooting 51.3% in four games with the Pistons. Sometimes, a clean slate is important for a young player in getting their career back on track. 

The 6-foot-11 forward was recently asked about the trade itself and what it felt like to get that fresh start. 

“I felt like a weight was taken off my back,” Bagley told The Athletic. “I felt like I could have fun playing basketball. Being in a new environment, new facility, new teammates, new faces, I think that’s what I needed. To finally get that, I’m going to make the most of the opportunity.”

It’s not a guarantee that Bagley ever becomes a star at the NBA level like he was projected to be coming out of college. Being the second overall pick comes with high expectations, but now that he’s no longer with the team that selected him that high, perhaps the expectations and pressure can be re-aligned. 

The post Marvin Bagley Reflects on Trade from Kings to Pistons appeared first on SLAM.

In what was an entertaining night, Team LeBron defeated Team Durant by a final score of 163-160.

The Kobe Bryant All-Star Game MVP for the 2022 matchup was Stephen Curry, who finished with a line of 50 points while knocking down 16 shots from beyond the arc. He scored nearly a third of his team’s points in the contest. Curry broke the record for most made 3-pointers in an All-Star game by a wide margin..

Now, players will get a few more days off before the regular season resumes. With just seven weeks of action remaining until final postseason seeding is set, this is the final stretch for teams who wish to make a playoff push. Many of the players that showcased their skills this weekend in Cleveland will play a huge part in competing head-to-head in crucial games the remainder of the regular season.

Next season, the All-Star break will take place in Salt Lake City, with the Utah Jazz being the host team. That will take place in 2023 over the span of Feb. 17 to Feb. 19.

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One notable buyout player is Tristan Thompson, who was released from the Indiana Pacers and will be signing a new deal with the Chicago Bulls.

Although the deal was announced by Pacers coach Rick Carlisle late last week, the Bulls made the deal official in a press release on Saturday. To make room for Thompson, the Bulls subsequently released Alfonzo McKinnie.

While he isn’t necessarily a starting caliber big anymore, Thompson has 11 years of NBA experience. He’s a force in the paint, standing at 6-foot-9 and 254 pounds.

On his career, Thompson has averaged 9.1 points and 8.5 rebounds per contest. This season, he has spent time with the Pacers and Sacramento Kings, producing 6.3 points and 5.3 boards in 34 contests. As the Bulls look to make a deep playoff run, Thompson’s experience could be key as he’s been to the NBA Playoffs five times, logging 83 games (70 starts) of action.

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With that in mind, LaVine is set to become a restricted free agent in July. Based on his individual performance and how he’s helped the team, he is set for a huge payday. 

LaVine recently spoke to Yahoo Sports’ Vincent Goodwill, giving insight into his upcoming free agency. He’s looking forward to getting paid what he thinks he has earned during his time in Chicago. 

“I think we all get what we deserve at the level we play at, for our team and around the league. I think I stack up with everybody at that level,” LaVine said. “We’ll let the chips fall. Is [a max contract] the goal? I don’t know if it’s the goal, but I should be getting what I deserve.”

While LaVine hasn’t necessarily made a max contract extension a goal, he certainly believes he is worth that type of deal. Playing at an All-Star level, he’s emerged as one of the best guards in the entire NBA. Alongside new teammate DeMar DeRozan, the Bulls have one of the deadliest offensive duos in the league. 

Right now, LaVine is focused on winning games and taking Chicago to the playoffs. The end goal is a championship, with his free agency situation being something he believes will work itself out when the time comes. 

“That’s why I don’t have to talk about it,” LaVine said. “I’ll go into the offseason, after this year and be very satisfied with what I think I’ll get and I’ll be happy for me and my family.”

With a record of 38-21, the Bulls currently sit at second in the Eastern Conference. With LaVine being a key piece of the roster, it’ll be up to him to ensure they make a deep playoff push. 

The post Zach LaVine Gives Insight Into Upcoming Free Agency with Bulls appeared first on SLAM.

According to him, the Wizards experienced verbal altercations nearly every single day between players. He pointed to this as a reason Washington hasn’t been able to perform at a high level this season. 

“It’s tough to have team chemistry when every single day, the team is basically fighting with each other about, ‘I want to get more minutes’ and ‘I want a bigger role’,” said Bertans. 

To this point in the season, the Wizards are 25-30, but things are about to get worse. Bradley Beal is out for the season with an injury and Washington just traded away most of its other key veteran pieces. 

With Beal being the face of the franchise, the direction of the Wizards will be interesting to monitor. 

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As such, LaVine will be traveling to Los Angeles this week to see a specialist for a further evaluation of his knee. For the Bulls, a healthy LaVine will be crucial in the postseason as they have championship aspirations. 

Even with all of this going on, LaVine is still planning to participate in All-Star Weekend, which will take place later this week, starting on Feb. 18. He earned the honor of participant in the All-Star game by averaging 24.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.5 assists on the season thus far. 

LaVine has emerged as one of the premier guards in the NBA at this point.

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James passed Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who previously held the record with 44,149 combined points, which included 38,387 in the regular season and 5,762 in the playoffs. James is clearly one of the best players in the history of the League, and continues to thrive even at 37 years old. 

Next up for James will be earning the outright regular season scoring record. He’s currently third all-time behind just Karl Malone and Abdul-Jabbar. Based on how he’s performed this season, James is on pace to surpass Malone this season Abdul-Jabbar next — in his 20th NBA season. 

When asked postgame about notching another career milestone, James mentioned he continues to surprise even himself with these accomplishments. 

“Throughout my career, whenever I’ve been linked with some of the greats, I’ve been in awe,” said James.  

Furthermore, Lakers coach Frank Vogel gave James the highest praise he could possible receive following the game. 

“To me he’s the greatest player ever to play,” Vogel said. “I still believe he’s going to lead us to great things this year.”

At the rate he’s going, James still has quite a bit of time left playing in the NBA. Especially with his son, Bronny James, set to enter the league in a couple of years, it wouldn’t be surprising to see James shatter more records before he hangs up his sneakers for the last time. 

The post Lakers’ LeBron James Passes Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for Most Total in NBA History appeared first on SLAM.

One player that could be a valuable trade chip is forward Christian Wood, who’s emerged as a solid player over the past few seasons. Despite being fairly old relative to the core of the roster, it appears he’s wanting to stick around and play with the Rockets through their rebuild going forward.

According to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, Wood wants to stay with the Rockets beyond the deadline. 

The 26-year-old veteran was recently asked about being part of trade rumors leading up to the deadline and his thoughts on his future in Houston. 

“This is my first year being in trade rumors,” Wood said. “I’m not really a fan of it. I’m committed to this organization, and I know they’re committed to me. I’ve given them everything. They’ve given me everything, too. I’m honored and blessed to be here. I’m really just waiting for this trade deadline to be over.”

Wood considers Houston his home and thinks very highly of the coaching staff and front office. 

“This is my home. This is where I want to be,” said the forward. “I’ve told [Stephen] Silas and Tilman [Fertitta] and Pat [Fertitta] and Raf [Stone] and they have the same feeling about me.”

On the season, Wood is averaging 17.6 points and 8.6 rebounds per contest while shooting 37.1% from deep. A quality forward, he’ll certainly be someone teams are interested in around the league if the Rockets are willing to deal him.

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According to Greg Sylvander of Five Reasons Sports, there’s three forwards in particular that the Heat have expressed interest in. Sylvander says Miami has some level of interest in Rui Hachimura, PJ Washington and Nic Batum. 

All three would certainly raise the ceiling of this Heat team. Currently the top team in the Eastern Conference, they’ll still have a ton of competition in the postseason. 

With just three days until the trade deadline, it appears Miami could be active on the open market as buyers. It appears that the forward position is one they’re directly looking to target, with those three names at top of mind.

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Matt Moore of The Action Network recently reported that one player they could look to trade is guard Dennis Schroder. 

Moore reports that Boston’s priority is to clear salary to save on the luxury tax, with Schroder being a feasible way to do just that. He says there are two offers on the table for the veteran guard, one from the Milwaukee Bucks and another from the Chicago Bulls. 

Both the Bucks and Bulls are among the best Eastern Conference teams and could use another scoring punch to further strengthen their respective bench units. 

On the season, Schroder is averaging 14.4 points, 4.3 assists and 3.3 rebounds per contest. A microwave scorer, it would be interesting to see what Boston could get in return for the veteran point guard. 

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His answer was fairly surprising.

“It’s an interesting situation,” said Dinwiddie. “I spoke up a little bit early on. It wasn’t necessarily welcomed. And so, like I said, I try to do whatever’s asked of me. At the end of the day, everybody has a role to play. It’s about being accountable in your role and doing that to the best of your ability. That’s really all I’ve got.”

After being acquired by the Wizards during the offseason, it appears Dinwiddie tried to emerge as a vocal leader early in his first season with the team, but it wasn’t welcomed.

With the Feb. 10 trade deadline approaching, Washington will certainly be a team to monitor. They could go two completely different directions the remainder of the season depending on what happens over the next week or two. As of now, they’re on the outside looking in of the playoff picture.

The post Spencer Dinwiddie Opens Up About Leadership Situation in Washington appeared first on SLAM.

On Sunday night, the 6-foot-8 guard posted a triple-double in a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. On the season, he’s now averaging 16.1 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.3 assists. 

Although it’s on a rebuilding team, the rookie is leading the Pistons in assists and is second in points per game. In 15 games during the month of January, he’s averaged 17.3 points per contest while shooting 36.5% from beyond the arc. 

Cunningham still has plenty of time to make a case for NBA Rookie of the Year. Early on, Evan Mobley of the Cavaliers seemed to be the favorite, but with each passing game Cunningham continues to climb the ladder. 

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While Reddish has the talent to help New York win games now, he still hasn’t cracked the rotation. He’s played just 15 total minutes through eight games as a Knick. 

Following a recent game against the Milwaukee Bucks in which Reddish didn’t touch the floor, Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau was asked why Reddish still wasn’t in the rotation. 

“Everything was discussed,” said Thibodeau. “We like who he is. We like the talent, and right now — it’s a long season. We knew we traded someone who wasn’t in the rotation, so you can’t keep adding to it without taking someone out. We can have injuries, so just have to be patient and work our way through it.”

New York has gone 2-6 since acquiring Reddish. While Thibodeau isn’t ready to make a major rotation shakeup, perhaps now is the time to do so. Although he wants to wait for injuries or further trades to naturally shift the lineup, time is running out this season. The Knicks are 23-27, good for 12th in the Eastern Conference. 

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“What comes with it is definitely worth it, but it’s not easy,” senior guard Ramel Lloyd Jr. told SLAM. 

While Sierra Canyon may look glamorous on social media and on television, it’s a grind. As such, it’s an opportunity for players like Ramel Jr. to achieve their dreams of making it to the NBA.

“People think it’s sweet here, but we go hard,” says Lloyd Jr. “We’ve got a really tough coaching staff that’s very hard. We’re held accountable at a very high level. So I mean, it’s not easy to play.“

Playing for a high school of this caliber brings additional pressure, but the opportunity also prepares players for the bright lights.

“I’ve played in front of all types of celebrities and crowds,” Lloyd Jr. says. “I mean, nothing at this point really fazes me. Like my high school experience might be even crazier in terms of fans and just how hectic it is here that it might be in college.“

Lloyd Jr. and his teammates, including Bronny James and Amari Bailey, who’s one of the top prospects in the nation, have showcased their high level talent at Staples Center in Los Angeles, playing in front of superstars like LeBron James, Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony and Russell Westbrook among others. 

When asked about what moment has stood out most thus far in his high school career, the 6-foot-6 guard . ultimately landed on the game against LeBron’s alma mater, St. Vincent-St. Mary, back in December.

“There’s been a couple. Obviously LeBron, I’m a huge fan. Drake was at a couple games, which is pretty cool. I think the one that got me though, was Floyd Mayweather. At the Staples Center game, I just had gotten a dunk. I was going by the bench and he looked at me and he said something about the dunk kinda laughing, interacting with me. It was a pretty surreal moment and I didn’t even know he was sitting there until then. I was like whoa is that Floyd Mayweather?”

Making his way to Sierra Canyon took hard work and proving he was capable of playing at that level. Lloyd Jr., who is from California, started hooping when he was four years old and was both mentored and coached by his father at an early age.

“I didn’t really play any other sports growing up. I was always basketball,” Lloyd Jr. explains. “I grew up watching my pops at the end of his professional career so so I was always kind of around it, so that’s what I wanted to do.”

His father, Ramel Lloyd Sr., spent his freshman season at Syracuse before an excellent three-year career at Long Beach State, where he averaged 17.4 points before playing professionally overseas for over a decade.

“Me and my dad, we’re super close,” Lloyd Jr. says. “So it was always easy for us to do it. He’s my best friend off the court, on the court—my coach, my dad, everything in one. We had our battles and fights, but he’s the reason why I’m here today. He taught me everything I know about the game. My whole game is him. You know, he’s the first person to train me and everything I do, I got from him.”

Growing up around a player of his father’s caliber was both inspiring and an opportunity for him to learn how to evolve his game. Although Lloyd Jr. was one of the tallest players on his teams growing up, his father knew he would eventually be a guard at the highest level. 

“I was always pretty tall. But the thing was, I played for my dad so even though he was tall—he’s like he’s only about 6-foot-5 — he knew I wasn’t gonna be big, like 6-foot-9 or 6-foot-10 when I was full grown,” he says. “So even though I was taller than all the kids, he would have me play the guard. He knew eventually I would turn into a guard completely.”

It’s all paid off, as Lloyd Jr. will head to Nebraska next season to play for Fred Hoiberg and the Cornhuskers. In fact, it’s those guard skills that Hoiberg will leverage throughout Lloyd Jr.’s college career. 

“I had coaches recruiting me for all different things: point guard, shooting guard, combo guard, wing, whatever,” Lloyd Jr. says. “At Nebraska I’m going to play a lot of point guard. Coach Hoiberg loves how I read the floor, my vision and just kinda my flow in terms of the pace so he really wants to be on the ball a lot next year. In my opinion, I’m a combo guard. But the game is going towards positionless basketball, so at the next level, I can be one through four.”

Even before he graduates high school and heads to college, Lloyd Jr. still has goals he’s set out to achieve. Before his time at Sierra Canyon comes to an end, he let us know that he’s working towards helping the team win both a state and national championship. 

For a player of Lloyd Jr.’s caliber, the end goal is the NBA. He feels like Nebraska was the perfect fit to give him the best chance of making that goal a reality. 

“Nebraska had all of the tools and things needed for me to become a pro. I felt like Coach Hoiberg and the staff would be big on my development with all the NBA experience. I thought they were really invested in me as a player and as a person and just wanted to see me be better and get better. Just playing in the Big Ten and being able to play right away and just have that experience, I couldn’t really pass it up.”

It’s been a breakout season for the future Cornhusker, as he’s helped lead the Trailblazers to a 19-2 record as of writing this, including ten-straight wins. After overcoming an injury that kept him sidelined over the summer and into the preseason, Lloyd Lloyd Jr. has really hit his stride of late—he won two separate tournament MVP awards and made a statement at the Iolani Classic in Hawaii, where he had three 20-plus point games to conclude the tournament.

“I feel like I’ve always been here,” he says. “I feel like it was just a matter of time for me. To really do it at the big stage, the bright lights, you know, you know, just getting here. This past summer I struggled with injuries and a lot of things that sideline me. So just getting healthy and and coming back now for my senior year playing these big games, I just was really trying to show that I am who I feel like I am—one of the top guys in the country. I’m healthy and I’ve just been doing my thing. So I’m gonna continue to do that moving forward.”

Playing with and against premier competition has surely prepared Ramel Lloyd Jr. for what’s to come at the next level.

“You have to play against the best to be the best, so just constantly playing against top guys and guys with that same potential is only getting me better.”

Photo Credit: Anthony Gallo, Josh Ma and Getty Images.

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While playing with the Birmingham Squadron of the G League over the weekend, Louzada suffered a torn meniscus, meaning he will be out indefinitely.

Spending most of his time in the G League this season, he’s only played in two games for the Pelicans in the 2021-22 campaign. Louzada has produced two rebounds and one assist total in seven total minutes.

While there’s a chance he ultimately evolves into a solid NBA player, for now he still hasn’t proven to be ready to take that step. However, he was taken No. 35 overall in his draft for a reason and has the tools needed.

After recovering from this left knee injury, Louzada will look to get back on track in his pursuit to being a full-time NBA player.

The post Pelicans: Guard Didi Louzada Out Indefinitely With Torn Meniscus appeared first on SLAM.

Entering Sunday’s game against the Washington Wizards, Boston was on a two-game losing streak and sitting one game below .500 in the 2021-22 campaign. In need of a win to get things back on track, Tatum rose to the occasion. He scored 31 points in the first half alone, then finished with 51 total points in a huge win.

The upcoming schedule for the Celtics is fairly manageable. While they’ll go up against some teams that are currently in the playoff picture, there’s a handful of contests in their next ten against teams they should be heavy favorites against.

If Boston is going to become a real threat and feel comfortable making a splash at the deadline, the front office might need to see a string of wins over the next week or two. If that’s going to happen, the Celtics will need more huge performances from their superstar forward in Tatum.

The post Jayson Tatum Pours in 51 Points as Celtics Earn Much-Needed Win appeared first on SLAM.

“We’re going in the right direction, but still have a lot of improvements to make,” said Beal on the Woj Pod over the weekend.

To this point in the season, Beal has proven to once again be the best player in Washington. He’s averaging 23.6 points, 6.5 assists, and 4.7 rebounds per contest.

On the Woj Pod, he also gave more insight into his future with the Wizards, which is something fans have been wondering about with upcoming decisions looming.

“Honestly, realizing that a franchise is willing to build around you,” Beal said. “It’s not always like that everywhere. Like, if I go somewhere else, they’re just not going to build around you. They’ll build around what they have. There’s nothing absolutely nothing wrong with that, but if I have the chance to create my own legacy and make it work here with the team that drafted me, then why not give it a shot? If it works, it works, If it doesn’t, I can say ‘At least I tried.’ That’s just who I am. That’s my blessing and curse, my loyalty. We’re transitioning, we’re going in the right direction, but we still have a lot of improvements to make.”

The Wizards are currently in the play-in picture, which means they would have a shot at the playoffs if the season were to end today. Regardless, Beal just wants to see steady improvement between now and the time at which he has to make a decision on his long-term future in Washington.

This decision will be a franchise-altering one for the Wizards, depending on which direction Beal goes.

The post Bradley Beal: ‘We’re Going in the Right Direction’ appeared first on SLAM.

One of the best shooters to ever touch a basketball made his way back on the court on Sunday against the Cavaliers following 941 days away from the game.

“There’s a few games that you just always remember,” said Warriors Coach Steve Kerr on Saturday. “Certain moments you always remember. I have no doubt that when Klay walks onto the floor for the first time, I will never forget that particular game. It will stand out as one of the highlights of my entire basketball existence.”

Thompson went down with an ACL injury in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors. He finished the contest with a game-high 30 points on just 12 shots despite leaving the game early.  

Since he last played, so much has changed. The world had shut down due to COVID-19, while the Warriors went through two down seasons where they drafted near the top of the lottery. 

Regardless, Golden State is back on track and has looked like the best team in the NBA to this point in the 2021-22 season. The Warriors (30-9) are once again a legitimate contender and are getting Thompson back at the midway point of the season on Sunday night. 

Known for being a great player on the court, Thompson is also one of the most well-respected players off the court too. As such, past and current players all around the league were excited for his return to action.

Thompson is like brother to his teammates, making it even more emotional for the Warriors entering Sunday’s contest against the Cleveland Cavaliers when he would make his debut. His fellow Splash Brother and close friend Stephen Curry gave his thoughts on the highly anticipated return of Thompson in form of a video tribute.

Draymond Green was on the court for the opening tip against the Cavaliers to honor Thompson but did not participate in the remainder of the game after dealing with some left calf tightness he experienced during pregame warmups.

“He’s a warrior,” Green said in the lead up to Thompson’s return. “No pun intended with that. There’s no other way to describe him. He’s going to give everything he got every time on the floor. What’s why we love him.”

The first points of the game for Golden State came from Thompson. Unexpectedly, it wasn’t a three-pointer that began the next chapter of Thompson’s career. 

Thompson’s first bucket of the season was on a drive to the rim, where he scored in the paint. From there, he would look to get his game going from beyond the arc but went 0-3 from deep before his opening stint of minutes in the first quarter came to an end. 

Thompson wouldn’t made it back to the court until late in the second quarter. However, that’s when he started to show that he was officially back. Despite building a reputation as a shooter, the veteran rose up and threw down a monumental dunk towards the end of the half. 

“To know that I can still do that [dunk] and being able to just get to my spots and rise up and shoot?” Thompson said per ESPN. “It’s only up from here.”

The Warriors had a 51-46 lead when halftime came, with Thompson notching seven points in just eight minutes. Although his shots weren’t falling as often as he would have liked, but he was still making an impact.

Thompson was huge in the third quarter when his quick scoring burst extended the Warriors’ lead into double-digits. From there, they never looked back in the big win.

When it was all said and done, Thompson finished with 17 points on 7-for-18 shooting from the field (3-8 from three-poiIt’serritory) to go along with three rebounds, one assist, and one block. He was the Warriors’ second-leading scorer on the night. 

“I will never forget the reception that Warriors fans gave us, especially myself,” Thompson said on his long awaited return. “Gosh it was fun and it was worth every single day of being away and in that squat rack or on that shuttle board and all the conditioning days. It was worth every single moment.

As he gets acquainted with the team, the game will only start to slow down and feel more natural for Thompson. It’s unclear how much production to expect from him, but when he last played during thee 2018-19 season, he was an NBA All-Star that averaged 21.5 points per game while knocking down over 40.2 percent of his ise-point attempts. 

Thompson was also one of the premier perimeter defenders in the entire NBA, often matching up with an opponents best player. Regardless of what he looks like for the remainder of the season, what is clear is that one of the greatest shooters in the history of the League is officially back. 

“This is only the beginning,” said Thompson as he walked to the locker room after the game.

“Tonight may be the most difficult game he plays in,” said Kerr postgame. “It’s so different from a playoff game. 941 days, with all that frustration and all that disappointment built-in over time, it’s going to be incredibly emotional for the rest of us, so I imagine what it would be like for Klay.”

The Warriors will take on the Grizzlies (28-14) Tuesday night as Thomson continues his return to NBA action. The emotional return couldn’t have gone better for the five-time All-Star and three-time NBA champion. 

The post Klay Thompson Shines in Highly Anticipated Return appeared first on SLAM.

As first reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Utah is planning on signing Denzel Valentine to a 10-day hardship contract.

Valentine was recently waived by the New York Knicks following a three-team trade between them, the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Los Angeles Lakers. In his fifth season, he’s proven to be a solid rotational piece, spending time with both the Chicago Bulls and Cavaliers.

Through 22 games this season in Cleveland, Valentine averaged 2.9 points and 1.3 rebounds in just 9.3 minutes per contest. Those are each career lows for the veteran, as it’s been the smallest role he’s ever played.

The 28-year-old will now get the chance to prove he’s a valuable piece during this short stint with the Jazz. A 6-foot-4 wing, Valentine is a career 36.0% shooter from beyond the arc, which makes him attractive to contending teams like Utah.

The Jazz are currently 28-12, sitting at third in the Western Conference.

The post Report: Jazz Signing Denzel Valentine to 10-Day Contract appeared first on SLAM.

In his first outing with the Suns, Biyombo produced 11 points and six boards in just 18 minutes of action. A 29-year-old veteran, he’s got over 700 games of NBA experience under his belt and could be a quality part of the rotation in Phoenix over the next week or so.

While it’s unclear whether the Suns would have any interest in trying to keep Biyombo around longer term, he’s certainly made a splash with the opportunity he’s been given.

In his career, the 6-foot-8 big never emerged as any sort of 3-point shooter, but is known for being a solid rebounder and efficient scorer. In a limited role, he’s always been a player that fits nicely on any team.

In the coming weeks. Biyombo and many other players across the league will continue to get chances to shine on their respective teams as they earn 10-day contracts. He’s averaged 5.1 points and 6.1 rebounds per game on his career while shooting 52.7% from the floor.

The post Bismack Biyombo Emerges as Quality Filler Big for Suns appeared first on SLAM.

On the flip side, when he doesn’t take the floor Oklahoma City really struggles to compete. They’ll be put to the test on that front over the next week or so as Gilgeous-Alexander will be unavailable as the newest Thunder player in health and safety protocols.

After a loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday night without Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC is now 0-5 on the season without him. To this point in the 2021-22 season, the Thunder simply cannot compete with teams without SGA being on the court.

In the tough Western Conference, it’ll be difficult for Gilgeous-Alexander to make the All-Star team this season, but his numbers are certainly deserving. Through 31 games this season, he’s averaged 22.7 points, 5.2 assists and 4.8 rebounds per contest.

On a rebuilding team, he doesn’t get as much credit as he deserves. However, his impact could come to light over the next few games if the Thunder continue to struggle without him.

When Gilgeous-Alexander has suited up this season, Oklahoma City has gone 13-18, which would put the team on pace to win nearly 35 games this season. Over the next week, the Thunder have three games in which they could potentially be without their star.

The post Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Enters Health and Safety Protocols, Thunder Fall to 0-5 Without Him appeared first on SLAM.

Although he’s no longer in his prime, Stephenson was a solid player for the Pacers during the two previous stints he spent with the team. He began his career in Indiana, then had a second run with the team starting in the 2016-17 season.

Now, Stephenson is once again a Pacer for the third time. While there’s a good chance this is only temporary, he’ll be a quality veteran for the struggling franchise. Before signing this deal with Indiana, Stephenson was on a 10-day deal with the Atlanta Hawks where he got limited action.

In his first game with the Pacers on Sunday night, Stephenson was a legitimate contributor. In a close loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, he posted six points, three assists and one rebound in just 13 minutes of action.

It’s unclear what Stephenson’s future is in Indiana, but for now it’s great to see him back with his former team. With depleted rosters across the league, teams have looked very different over the past several weeks.

The post Lance Stephenson is a Pacer Once Again appeared first on SLAM.

Something else the NBA has considered is an in-season tournament. 

As first reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, there recently has been renewed momentum for the creation of a future in-season NBA tournament among the league’s 30 teams which could become part of the calendar as soon as the 2022-23 or 2023-24 season.

According to Wojnarowski’s report, the early ideas around this tournament would have it starting with pool play as part of the regular-season schedule prior to teams with the best records advancing to an eight-team, single-elimination tournament that would culminate prior to Christmas. In turn, the regular season would be shortened from 82 to 78 games. 

As an incentive, the NBA and NBPA have discussed a prize of $1 million per player for the winning team.

This is similar to the recent G League in-season tournament that netted players on the winning team $100,000. 

Especially for teams that aren’t able to make the playoffs, this could be another way to increase competitiveness throughout a the course of the regular season. 

The post REPORT: NBA In-Season Tournament Could be Future Possibility appeared first on SLAM.

Since Irving cannot play home games, the Nets will have to wait until an upcoming road trip for his return. Getting in game shape is important for any NBA player. As such, it might take time for Irving to ramp up and get back to where needs to be to play for the Nets.

“He needs ramp up, so we won’t see Kyrie on this trip,” said Nets coach Steve Nash earlier this week. While Brooklyn is currently on a road trip, this isn’t one Irving will play in.

After the start of the new year, the Nets are not on the road again until Jan. 5 at Indiana, followed by Jan. 12 at Chicago. Due to this, Irving’s season debut may not come until late into the month at the earliest. Brooklyn has a four-game road trip that starts in Cleveland on Jan. 17 that could be a great time for him to return to the court.

Irving has not been with the team on a regular basis since the first week of training camp at the start of October. Last season with the Nets, he averaged 26.9 points, 6.0 assists and 4.8 rebounds per contest.

The post REPORT: Nets’ Kyrie Irving Won’t Make Season Debut Until at Least January appeared first on SLAM.

However, on Friday the G League announce that the resumption of its regular season, originally scheduled to tip off on Dec. 27, will now begin on Jan. 5, 2022.  

Over the past few weeks, countless G League players have been called up to the NBA to fill out depleted rosters from players being in health and safety protocols. 

This delay will give teams an opportunity to safely return players to their respective G League markets after the holidays and allow time for their players that have been called up make their way back down. 

Rescheduled game date information will be announced at a later date once determined by the league. 

To this point in the season, Saben Lee of the Motor City Cruise leads the G League with 30.6 points per contest. The Delaware Blue Coats recently won the Showcase Cup and are one of the hottest teams in the league. 

The post NBA G League Regular Season Resumption Postponed appeared first on SLAM.

On Sunday night, he returned to the lineup following a hamstring injury that kept Booker out for nearly three weeks. Over the seven games he missed, Phoenix was able to go 5-2. 

In his return to action, the Suns beat the Charlotte Hornets by 31 points, as Booker finished with 16 points, six rebounds and five assists in 26 minutes

On the season, Booker is averaging 23.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. He’s also shooting a career-best 40.3% from deep, showing that his game only continues to expand each season. 

Although the Suns were deep enough to have success in Booker’s absence, they’re happy to have him back from injury as they move forward. Following a trip to the NBA Finals last season, Phoenix looks better than ever.

The post Devin Booker Returns To Action for Phoenix Suns appeared first on SLAM.

Ariza missed the first part of the season as he recovered from a procedure done on his right ankle just over two months ago. 

On Sunday night, Ariza finally made his season debut with the Lakers. In what was a 115-110 loss to the Chicago Bulls, he produced three points, two assists and one rebound in just over 15 minutes of action. 

Ariza was one of only nine Lakers who saw the floor in this matchup. A smart veteran, Ariza could prove to be useful in Los Angeles this season. 

As the season goes on, it will be interesting to see how the Lakers’ rotations unfold. 

The post Trevor Ariza Makes Season Debut With Los Angeles Lakers appeared first on SLAM.

House had struggled in Houston this season, averaging just 4.8 points and 2.7 rebounds while shooting 33.8% from the floor in 14.6 minutes per game. He was also in the final year of his current contract. As such, this allows him to go find a new team while the Rockets prioritize developing their young talent. 

“I spoke to him yesterday, and he was appreciative of the opportunity,” Rockets coach Stephen Silas said. “I told him that I appreciated him. He was one of the first guys I met when I first got here, and there are not many left. We built a relationship over 13 months. He was a pleasure to coach, and I look forward to seeing what’s next for him.”

Prior to being waived, House was the second-most-tenured player on the Rockets, behind only Eric Gordon. 

Matthews will reportedly make $8 million over the duration of his new four-year deal. Houston is 7-4 with Mathews in starting lineup, as he’s averaged 14.5 points per contest during that stretch. After being claimed off waivers before the start of the season and being assigned to a two-way contract, Matthews has proven to be a valuable piece in Houston. 

The post Houston Rockets Waive Danuel House, Sign Garrison Matthews appeared first on SLAM.

To this point in the season, he’s averaged 20.1 points and 4.8 rebounds per contest. However, he’ll be out for the foreseeable future with a thumb injury.  

As first reported by The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Grant has been diagnosed with torn ligaments in his right thumb and will be out indefinitely. He will be re-evaluated in six weeks.

While the Pistons haven’t been great this season, with the worst record in the league, this will only make things worse. As talented as their young core is, Grant is a key member of the roster, and the team’s only player scoring at least 20 points per game. 

Grant is a player that could really raise the ceiling of a contender, meaning Detroit could look to trade him this season for more assets. However, he’ll need to recover from this injury before that’s really an option for them to explore. 

The post REPORT: Jerami Grant Out Indefinitely With Thumb Injury appeared first on SLAM.

In what was looking like a breakout campaign for the former No. 1 overall pick, Fultz led the Magic to a 6-2 record to start the 2020-21 season while averaging a career-high 14.3 points and 6.1 assists per contest.

As first reported by Dan Savage of NBA.com, Fultz joined the team in Los Angeles on Friday for practice to hit milestones in his rehab process for that ACL injury. There’s still no timetable on his return, but it’s great to see him trending in the right direction. 

After practice, Fultz spoke about how great it was to be back.  

“It was amazing. (First off) just to be back with the team and be with my brothers and with this organization is amazing, but also just to get back into things and be on the road with these guys and get back into that process is, again, just a great experience,” said Fultz. “Again, just trying to get better, just trying to push these guys to get better, and that’s it really.”

Fultz was a full participant in this practice, taking part in everything. With as much talent as any young prospect in the league, Fultz has looked solid to this point in his career despite facing a variety of injuries. If he can stay healthy, he could emerge as a huge piece of the Orlando roster going forward. 

The post REPORT: Markelle Fultz Back Practicing With Magic appeared first on SLAM.

Late last month, the Pelicans announced that Williamson has been cleared to participate in full team activities. However, it appears he’s hit another setback. 

As first reported by Shams Charania of The Athletic, Williamson continues to experience soreness in his right foot and will likely be shut down from basketball activities for the time being.

After having surgery this offseason, Williamson’s foot hasn’t healed the way they wanted it to. 

The Pelicans released a medical update with more information on the latest setback. 

“After experiencing persistent soreness in his right foot, Zion Williamson underwent medical imaging which showed a regression in the bone healing of his fifth metatarsal. As a result, the volume and intensity of his training will be reduced for an extended period to help allow for further bone healing. Additional updates will be provided as warranted.”

Williamson is one of the most talented young players in the NBA. Last season, he made the NBA All-Star team while averaging 27.0 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game.

The post REPORT: Zion Williamson Faces Another Injury Setback appeared first on SLAM.

After a solid start to the season, Dallas has experienced major injury issues. Whether it be Luka Doncic, Kristaps Porzingis or another one of their core pieces, the Mavericks have rarely been fully healthy this season. 

This has resulted in them losing seven of their last nine games, bringing them to .500 on the season at 11-11. 

A loss to the Memphis Grizzlies over the weekend marked the fourth consecutive loss at home for the struggling Mavericks. After that loss, Mavs coach Jason Kidd said the team needs to keep pushing forward and not get discouraged during this rough stretch. 

“I think when you look at it you can get discouraged, especially when you aren’t playing well at home on this stretch,” said Kidd. “But even with injuries and everything there is no excuse – it is next guy up. I think they are in a good place. This group has been together and been through a lot since the beginning of the season.”

As Dallas lost this game to the Grizzlies, Doncic and Porzingis were both sidelined with injury. When fully healthy, the Mavericks have looked great this season, but they haven’t had that luxury often. 

It’s a long season, with nearly three quarters of  it remaining, but the Mavericks are starting to slide down the standings. 

The post Mavericks Struggle As Key Players Miss Time appeared first on SLAM.

With that in mind, Indiana is missing one of its best scorers in T.J. Warren, who hasn’t played yet this season due to a left foot fracture. 

Over the weekend, Pacers coach Rick Carlisle gave an update on Warren, saying he had a foot scan recently that showed “continued healing.”

Carlisle would go on to say that Warren won’t be back on the floor in game action until 2022, ruling him out for a return this month. 

“He’s not gonna have another scan until the later stage of the month or early January, so he will not play in December,” said Carlisle. “There’s a chance that he could get the go-ahead to keep escalating the workload, but for now it’s just about (how) he’s clearly out of the boot, starting to do things more actively.”

Warren played in just four games last season with this foot injury. The last time he played significant minutes was in the 2019-20 season, when he averaged 19.8 points per game while knocking down 40.3% of his 3-point attempts. 

While there’s no guarantee he comes back this dynamic as a scorer, the 28-year-old will certainly be a huge lift for the Indiana offense. 

Warren is set to become a free agent following this season, which means a high level of production upon his return will be important. 

The post Pacers Forward T.J. Warren Out Until 2022 appeared first on SLAM.

“It felt special playing on the same court as he’s played,” said Bronny postgame. “I’m getting a lot of confidence from that, and it was a really special game for me. Afterwards, he just said he liked everything I was doing, with my poise and my pace for the game.”

Sierra Canyon won by a final score of 71-53, as Bronny led his team to a huge win over LeBron’s alma mater in  St. Vincent-St. Mary’s. 

This is the second time in Bronny’s high school career that he’s had the opportunity to face off against his father’s alma mater. The first took place in Ohio two years ago, when James was a freshman and had a game-winning steal and score to solidify a victory. 

Saturday’s game took place in front of many current and former NBA stars, as Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony, Russell Westbrook, Zach Randolph and Metta World Peace among others were in attendance. Additionally, other celebrities like Floyd Mayweather and Jamie Foxx stopped by for the exciting game. 

James’ 19 points came on an efficient 7-for-11 from the field as he showed off unlimited range. His 3-point shooting was extremely impressive in the big win. 

The post Bronny James Puts on Show at Staples Center appeared first on SLAM.

However, this depth has continued to be diminished as the 2021-22 season goes on due to injuries. 

Atlanta entered the weekend already down a core player in De’Andre Hunter, but finished the weekend down two more players. In a loss to the New York Knicks, both Cam Reddish and Bogdan Bogdanovic got hurt. 

Reddish left the game early with a lingering wrist injury that proved to get worse in Saturday’s matchup, while Bogdanovic sprained his right ankle and left the contest early as well. 

While both of these injuries are minor, every game in the NBA counts. Especially with the fairly slow start the Hawks have had to the season, they need a fully healthy roster to achieve the goals they’ve set out. 

In the absence of three key players on the wing in the near future, Atlanta will need rotational pieces to step up and fill the void left behind. 

Bogdanovic will be re-evaluated in two weeks and Reddish is day-to-day moving forward. 

The post Hawks Continue to Face Injury Issues appeared first on SLAM.

With that in mind, they’ve been without their superstar forward Zion Williamson for the entire season. He’s been recovering from a fractured right foot, with the team being overly cautious with their franchise cornerstone to this point. 

Over the weekend, the Pelicans announced that Williamson has been cleared to participate in full team activities.

While this doesn’t mean he’s quite ready to take the floor in games, it is a step in the right direction. 

Upon his return, New Orleans isn’t expected to become a playoff caliber team. However, they should be better than they are now, as Williamson is one of the best young players in the NBA. 

Last season, he made the NBA All-Star team while averaging 27.0 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists per contest. With the talent to become the face of the league down the road, the Pelicans should play the long game in bringing him back to action. 

The post Pelicans Star Zion Williamson Cleared for Full Team Activities appeared first on SLAM.

On Friday night, Morant left the game following a non-contact in which he couldn’t put weight on his left leg. As Grizzlies fans held their breath, they got good news that it wasn’t a season-ending injury. 

As first reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Morant suffered just a left knee sprain, which was great news. 

While there’s timeline yet on a timeline for a return from this left knee sprain, there’s optimism he won’t be out long. Morant amazed those in organization in how he attacked rehab a year ago with a fairly serious ankle injury and will return this season. 

Through 19 games this season, the rising star has averaged 24.1 points, 6.8 assists and 5.6 rebounds per contest. The Grizzlies certainly have the talent to stay afloat in the meantime, but currently have a 10-10 record. 

The post Ja Morant Avoids Major Injury, Diagnosed With Sprained Left Knee appeared first on SLAM.

One young player who’s continued to put together triple-doubles at age 20 is LaMelo Ball, who’s now put together three early in his career. Following this third triple-double, he’s now tied for fourth-most in NBA history at age 20 or younger. 

This puts him in rare company, with the only players in history ahead of Ball being Luka Doncic (21), Magic Johnson (7) and LeBron James (5).

Ball just turned 20 years old 92 days ago, meaning he’s still got the rest of the 2021-22 season to climb this list even further. On the season, he’s averaged 19.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 7.7 assists per contest.

The rising star has been one of the best players for the Charlotte Hornets, who are currently in the playoff picture with a record of 10-8.

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In just his second NBA season, Maxey is an early candidate for the most improved player in the league. In fact, over his last six games he’s averaged 25.7 points, 4.5 assists and 3.8 rebounds per contest. 

Maxey has done this efficiently, shooting 48.1% from deep and 92.0% from the free throw line. 

Although he was great as a rookie, Maxey’s play has been on a new level this season. The Kentucky product is proving to be one of the best players in the sophomore class. 

Overall on the season, the former first-round pick is averaging 18.4 points, 4.6 assists and 3.7 rebounds per game. While he doesn’t do everything Simmons does on the floor, he’s been a huge reason that the Sixers have earned a 9-8 record on the season while being shorthanded. 

The post Tyrese Maxey Continues to Emerge in Absence of Ben Simmons appeared first on SLAM.

Sexton has been a major contributor for the Cavs to this point in the season, helping them earn a record of 9-8. However, his season will now be cut short. 

As first reported by The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Sexton will miss the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery on left meniscus tear.

This is a huge blow to Cleveland, who will be losing a dynamic scorer in the final year of his current contract. Through 11 games this season, Sexton averaged 16.0 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists. 

This summer will be interesting for the 22-year-old, as he’ll ink a new contract, whether with the Cavaliers or another team. 

The post REPORT: Cavs Guard Collin Sexton to Miss Remainder of Season appeared first on SLAM.

What’s been most worrisome is the fact that the Lakers have lost quite a few games to teams that are near the bottom of the NBA standings.

Following a recent loss against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Lakers big Anthony Davis spoke to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin and other reporters about their early season struggles.

“We got to decide who we want to be. A championship team? That’s not us right now,” Davis said. “We’re not winning a championship the way we’re playing. We got to be better, and we got to care more for our wins at home. Wins in general. That was embarrassing.”

While there is still plenty of time to turn things around this season, Davis says the Lakers aren’t playing like a championship team. 

In their defense, they’ve been without key players in several games, including LeBron James who has only played in six games this season.

Don’t be surprised if the Lakers end up near the top of the standings at the end of the regular season. They’ve got the talent to be great, but haven’t fully meshed this season.

The post Anthony Davis Admits Lakers Aren’t Currently A Championship Contender appeared first on SLAM.

As the team takes things slow with Williamson, he is set to have another set of scans done in the coming weeks to get a pulse check on when he could return to the court healthy.

ESPN’s Brian Windhorst recently gave an update on Williamson, talking about how hard he is working to get back to helping the Pelicans win games. However, he mentioned that Williamson is still “weeks away” from getting back into full practices. 

With that in mind, Williamson may not be returning to game action until late December or early in 2022. He’ll need time in practice getting back in game shape and mesh with his teammates before being thrown back into games. 

Already in his third NBA season, Williamson has only played in 85 games, but has averaged 25.7 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.2 assists per contest. 

The Pelicans have the second worst record in the entire NBA at 2-12, meaning this season may already be lost. As good as Williamson is, he likely won’t be able to turn this team around to the point where they’re in the hunt for the playoffs.

The post REPORT: Zion Williamson Still Not Close to Returning appeared first on SLAM.

Klay Thompson is set to make his return to action this season. According to Jordan Schultz, he is making “steady progress” and is 5-6 weeks away stepping back on the court in game action. 

He is reportedly in “great shape” and close to playing 5-on-5 in practice, which is paramount to him being cleared. With this timeline, it appears Thompson could return before the calendar changes to the year 2022. In fact, Christmas Day against the Phoenix Suns could be the perfect return. 

On his career, Thompson has posted averages of 19.5 points per game while shooting 41.9% from deep. Regardless of what he looks like upon his return, he will should be an excellent shooter at minimum.

The post REPORT: Klay Thompson Just Weeks Away From NBA Return appeared first on SLAM.

Following a 29-point performance over the Detroit Pistons, Durant become the first player in Brooklyn Nets history to score 20+ points in first nine games of a season. 

Through those nine games, he averaged 28.3 points, 8.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists per contest. That was good for the most points per game in the entire NBA to that point. 

Even without Kyrie Irving and with James Harden struggling at times, Durant continues to elevate the Nets. As they continue their title aspirations, it’ll take a healthy and productive Durant to get where they want to be.

Coming off of numerous different injuries, Durant continues to shock the world with what he’s able to accomplish.

The post Kevin Durant Makes History for Brooklyn Nets appeared first on SLAM.

One example of this is the production of Nikola Vucevic, who is actually playing more minutes than he ever has, but is taking less shots and scoring less points. 

To Vucevic, that’s completely fine as long as it’s for the best of the team.

“It’s just the way we play that they have the ball. I think as a big man that’s usually how it is; it’s just the rough life of a big man,” said Vucevic recently. “The guards have more of the ball. It’s fine.”

Having more talent around than usual is never a bad thing, as it’s resulted in the Bulls having a really solid start to the season.

“There’s more talent and more guys who can score. So it’s a little different offensively for me,” Vucevic said. “So I just try to do different things, passing, defensively rebounding; there are many ways you can impact the game, screening and doing other things that I can to help the team.”

Through nine games this season, Vucevic is averaging 13.4 points and 10.8 rebounds in 34.4 minutes per contest. He’s one of the most important players on the Bulls, regardless of what his numbers look like.

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Rivers has been coaching in the NBA since 1999, with over two decades of experience on the sidelines. Over the weekend, he got his 1,000th career win after the 76ers beat the Bulls, 114-105.

This makes him just the tenth coach in NBA history to reach this milestone. He is the second Black coach to reach the plateau since Lenny Wilkens accomplished the goal in March 1996. As long as he is the coach of the Sixers, his win total will only continue to climb as they are one of the better teams in the entire NBA.

As he continues to climb the all-time coaching ladder, Rivers has Rick Adelman in his sights with 1,042 career wins. Still early in the season, he’s got a chance to pass him before the playoffs and earn the ninth spot on the list. 

Rivers is now one of just two active coaches (Gregg Popovich) with 1,000 career wins.

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It’s early in the season, but Washington is tied for the best record in the NBA at 5-1. However, they’re just scratching the surface of their potential. 

With so many new faces, Bradley Beal thinks the Wizards are going to get even better as the season goes on and the team builds more chemistry. 

“Just imagine when everything starts clicking, when everybody’s gelling, when everybody’s healthy. It’s going to be scary,” said Beal. 

It’s started with defense for Washington, with their 102.5 defensive rating that’s good for tenth in the NBA. That end of the floor should only get better as the team continues to mesh. 

Beal is the clear leader of this Wizards team, with an opportunity to help them make a splash in the East this season. 

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The 7-footer came into the 2021-22 season fully healthy, but had a slow start. Through the first three games of the season, Porzingis averaged just 12.7 points and 6.0 rebounds per game while shooting 30.2% from the floor. 

To make things worse, he left that third game of the season early due to lower back soreness. Since then, he’s missed three consecutive contests with this lingering back issue. 

Luckily for Dallas, the team has looked solid in the absence of Porzingis. In the three full games Porzingis has missed, the Mavs have gone 2-1. 

“We just wanted to play a lot better to start the game no matter whoever is on the floor,” said Tim Hardaway Jr. following Sunday’s win over the Sacramento Kings. 

The wins haven’t necessarily been pretty, but they’re victories nonetheless. The big loss this week was on the road against the Denver Nuggets, when the Mavericks lost by 31 points and really missed Porzingis’ presence. 

It’s unclear whether he will be available for Dallas’ next game on Tuesday against the Miami Heat, but there’s at least some optimism that his back is getting better. 

“He’s doing better, so that’s a good thing,” said Mavs coach Jason Kidd on Friday.

The Mavericks went 26-17 with Porzingis in the lineup last season. His health this season will make a direct impact on the success of Dallas. 

They’re currently 4-2 on the season overall with a perfect 3-0 record at home. 

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In that limited action, Cunningham struggled a bit from the floor, hitting just one of his eight shot attempts and going 0-for-5 from deep. This shouldn’t be concerning, as many players struggle offensively in their first ever NBA game. 

The box score doesn’t tell the entire story in Cunningham’s debut. Although he only scored two points, he showed the physical tools that NBA teams crave, showing why he was the top overall pick. 

As a 6-foot-8 point guard, Cunningham will have the opportunity to be special on the defensive end of the floor. Pistons fans got a glimpse of his potential on defense in the debut.

“I think it was good. I feel like coming in, just being able to make some plays off the ball, get some rebounds. I felt like I was solid defensively,” Cunningham said postgame. 

Additionally, Cunningham has the size to be an excellent rebounding guard. Similar to Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks, the Oklahoma State product will be a point guard who should be one of the best rebounders on his team. 

On Saturday night, Cunningham pulled down seven rebounds. All seven came in the first half, setting the record for most rebounds in a half by a Pistons player in their NBA debut since at least 1997-98 (when NBA first tracked play-by-play data). 

Detroit plays again today against the Brooklyn Nets, but Cunningham will rest since it’s the second night of a back-to-back as he works his way back to full health. 

To this point in the season, the Pistons’ only win has come with their franchise cornerstone on the floor.

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A first-round pick in the ’05 NBA Draft, Green went on to play in 658 career games at the NBA level. He finished his career with two seasons in Houston, with his last game being played during the 2018-19 season. 

Now, he’ll get to help the Rockets with their player development, as they look to rebuild a contending team. 

Green has career averages of 9.7 points per game while shooting 36.1% from beyond the arc. 

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Although he had quite a few solid college offers to play basketball, Wade decided to skip college and go straight to the G League. 

Over the weekend, the 2021 G League draft took place, where a variety of prospects would look to join a team en route to the NBA. 

Wade was drafted by the Salt Lake City Stars No. 10 overall, giving him the opportunity to get professional experience at a young age. 

This pick wasn’t surprising, as his father is now part owner of the Utah Jazz. 

Wade isn’t eligible to play in the NBA this season, so he will spend all of his time with the Stars. If he plays well, he’ll have the opportunity to be selected in the 2022 NBA Draft. 

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The entertaining veteran last played with the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2018-19 season, when he averaged 7.2 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists per contest.

After that season, Stephenson signed with the Liaoning Flying Leopards of the Chinese Basketball Association, where he played the 2019-20 season.

As he looked to make a return back to the NBA, Stephenson was among the players that entered the pool to be potentially selected in the 2021 NBA G League Draft. Taking place on Saturday, this was an opportunity for him to work his way back to the League on a G League affiliate.

As first reported by The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Stephenson will play for the Denver Nuggets’ G League affiliate, Grand Rapids, this season after being selected No. 13 overall in G League draft.

This should be a great opportunity for Stephenson, who will have the chance to showcase his skills and potentially earn a spot on a contending Nuggets team later in the season.

Just 31 years old, Stephenson is a 6-foot-6 guard that brings a ton of energy to the floor. In his career, he’s averaged 8.6 points and 4.2 rebounds per contest. He’s certainly a role player at this point, but still has enough to help a team that’s looking to win now.

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For starters, The Athletic’s Anthony Slater reported that veteran guard Avery Bradley was waived and would not make the final 15-man roster. 

Slater also reported that Golden State also waived Gary Payton II, Mychal Mulder and Jordan Bell as they cut down the roster. 

The Warriors are currently leaving their 15th roster spot vacant, but will continue to discuss what to do with that final spot in the coming days.

It’s a big season for the Warriors, who know their window of contention with Steph Curry won’t last forever. They’ve got a great mix of veterans and young prospects that they will look to play with in effort to make a deep postseason push. 

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During the preseason, their starting wing Andrew Wiggins missed a game due to knee soreness. 

Warriors coach Steve Kerr talked Alex Didion of NBC Sports and other reporters late last week about Wiggins’ status heading into the regular season. 

“He’s probably a couple weeks away from really being able to have his conditioning and rhythm where he wants it to be, and that’s fine,” said Kerr postgame on Friday. “That’s usually the case with a lot of guys as you head into the regular season, so he’ll be fine.”

Recovering from the knee soreness seems to have set Wiggins back from being in the shape he needs to be at the start of the regular season. 

He was a key piece for Golden State last season, averaging 18.6 points and 4.9 rebounds per contest. The health and performance of Wiggins will be a key driver in the success of the Warriors this season. 

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Last season, he was traded from the Chicago Bulls to the Orlando Magic, giving him a fresh start. In 19 games with the Magic, he averaged 11.7 points and 8.8 rebounds per contest. 

Ahead of the 2021-22 season, the former Duke center was eligible for an extension. 

As first reported by Shams Charania of The Athletic, Carter Jr. has agreed to a four-year, $50 million contract extension with the Magic. The deal is fully guaranteed for the big man. 

As Orlando continues their rebuild, Carter Jr. is a key piece at just 22 years old. After he signed very team-friendly contract, the team has plenty of flexibility to continue taking steps forward in the building out their roster. 

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The Bulls are now 3-0 in preseason, already showing quite a bit of early chemistry. 

They won their first two preseason game by a combined 72 points. Following those dominant performances, they beat the Cleveland Cavaliers by a point in their third game to keep the streak alive. 

Although it’s just preseason, the Bulls look on track to have a breakout season. In the Eastern Conference, anything can happen. 

With a revamped roster and plenty of talent to take them to the top, Chicago is a team to keep an eye on. Last season, they went 31-41 but should be much better in the 2021-22 season. 

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With the No. 27 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, they selected Cam Thomas out of LSU. A lethal scoring guard, he started to immediately make an impact in NBA Summer league, averaging 27.0 points per game and winning MVP of the event. 

Thomas’ new teammate James Harden recently spoke to Zach Braziller of the New York Post, giving praise to the young guard. 

“Obviously Cam was a much better scorer than I was coming out of college. It’s just rare you get those guys who can just get a bucket in any form or fashion. But he’s young, he learns, he listens and he works his butt off. As a young guy, that’s all you can ask for,” said Harden.

With Harden being one of the best scorers in the league, it means a lot that he thinks Thomas is ahead where he was coming out of college as a scorer. 

As the Nets look to make a Finals run this season, Thomas has a real chance to contribute as a rookie. Additionally, he has a high ceiling and could develop into one of the best scorers in the entire NBA.

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Galloway, a veteran with seven years of NBA experience, was originally signed to a non-guaranteed training camp deal late in September. This means Golden State is able to waive him now without his salary being on their books for the upcoming season.  

Last season, Galloway played for the Phoenix Suns and averaged 4.8 points in 11.0 minutes per game. He played in 40 contests and shot 42.4% from deep. 

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However, the Jazz will likely have to wait a few weeks to begin to benefit from Gay’s production. 

As first reported by Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune, Gay will miss the preseason and start of the regular season with a left heel injury. Gay had surgery performed on his left heel immediately following the conclusion of last season and is still working his way back from that procedure.

Last season with the Spurs, Gay averaged 11.4 points and 4.8 rebounds per game off the bench. A quality 3-point shooter, he converted on 38.1% of his 4.4 attempts from deep per game. 

Upon his return, Gay should be one of the most important pieces of the Utah roster.

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Leonard had surgery in July to repair his torn ACL, which is typically an 8-9 month recovery for NBA athletes. This meant that there was a good chance he would miss the entire regular season. 

According to Farbod Esnaashari of Sports Illustrated, Leonard is ahead of schedule in his ACL rehab he hasn’t been completely ruled out coming back in the upcoming season. With that in mind, the Clippers aren’t in a rush to bring him back.

During the 2020-21 regular season, Leonard was one of the best players in the NBA, averaging 24.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game. 

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The former tenth overall pick has looked great early in his career when healthy, but gets injured much too frequently. Through three NBA seasons, he’s appeared in just 154 games. 

Most recently, Collins suffered an ankle injury and is still in the rehabilitation process. Even while recovering, the Spurs were willing to give him a three-year, $22 million contract. 

Set to miss the start of the season, Gregg Popovich recently told Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express that Collins should be returning to action sometime after Christmas. 

While the Spurs will have to wait a while for his debut, the upside he has is worth it. On his career, Collins has career averages of 5.7 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. 

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While they’re certainly deeper than they were last season, Washington still has one or two things they’d like to accomplish before the start of the season to fill out the roster. 

Ahead of the start of training camp, Ava Wallace of The Washington Post reported that Wizards GM Tommy Sheppard would like to add a third center to the roster. This would be in effort to at depth at the center position with Thomas Bryant not expected back until mid-season. As of now, Daniel Gafford will be the starter due to this lack of depth.

To make things worse, power forward Rui Hachimura is out indefinitely due to personal reasons. He would have helped with that depth as he’s able to play small-ball center.

There’s still a few weeks until the start of the season, but it appears the Wizards are on the hunt for help down low.

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Morant recently told HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto that he is a top-five point guard in the NBA today. He put himself on that list alongside Steph Curry, Chris Paul, Damian Lillard and Russell Westbrook.

“The point guard position is so loaded. Some guys have to get left out,” said Morant.

The former rookie of the year averaged 19.1 points and 7.4 assists per game last season. While he does need to improve on his 3-point shooting, he certainly is on his way to becoming one of the top point guards in the NBA.

As Morant enters his third NBA season, he has extremely high expectations for himself.

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Now, as first reported by The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Los Angeles is converting him to a standard multi-year deal. It will be a two-year deal with a team option in the second year.

During NBA Summer League, Reaves was perhaps the team’s best player, averaging 11.4 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game.

As the Lakers look to contend in the upcoming season, Reaves will be a part of the process as a full-time member of the team. The 6-foot-5 guard is mature after playing in four full college seasons and will look to make an immediate impact at the next level.

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Earlier this week, Chicago exercised the fourth-year option on guard Coby White, and third-year option on forward Patrick Williams. This results in both players being under contract with the team through the 2022-23 season.

Both Williams and White are among the most intriguing prospects in the NBA and should have major roles with the Bulls this season.

White is a spark plug off the bench, coming off a season in which he averaged 15.1 points, 4.8 assists and 4.1 rebounds per contest.

Williams just suffered a foot injury, but should have a chance to start upon his return. Last season as a rookie, he averaged 9.2 points and 4.6 rebounds per game while shooting 39.1% from beyond the arc.

These options being exercised weren’t unexpected moves by the Bulls, but will only help them as they continue to build a truly competitive roster

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Jennings recently spoke to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, reminiscing on what could have been if he would have stayed healthy. 

“I would’ve been an All-Star for sure if I didn’t tear my Achilles,” said Jennings.

Jennings tore his Achilles in 2015, which is one of the most difficult injuries to return from at full strength. 

He was a full-time starter before that injury, but only started in 20 of 143 games following his recovery. 

Throughout his nine year NBA career, Jennings notched 555 career games. During that time, he averaged. 14.1 points and 3.1 assists per game while shooting 34.5 percent from deep. 

Had he been able to stay healthy, anything could have happened. A guy who could score 20 on any given night, he was yet another player that could have accomplished even greater things if it weren’t for injuries. 

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As first reported by ESPN’s Nick Friedell, the Warriors are concerned about the status of Andrew Wiggins this season for those games as home, as he plans to not receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

According to Friedell, Wiggins made it clear earlier this year that the only way he would get a COVID-19 vaccine is if he were forced to do so. 

“Yeah, I don’t really see myself getting it any time soon, unless I’m forced to somehow,” Wiggins said in March. “Other than that, I’m good.”

At this point, unless he’s able to get some sort of exemption, Wiggins will not be able to play in home games for Golden State this season. If he changes his mind and receives a full vaccination, this would make him eligible to play at home.  

Wiggins is a key piece of the Warriors roster after averaging 18.6 points and 4.9 rebounds per contest last season. 

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In a press release on Monday, the Warriors gave an update on Thompson’s status, saying that the former All-Star guard is making ‘good progress’ and is on pace for a return during the season.

Golden State also mentioned that Thompson will participate in various controlled drills in training camp and that his return to full practices will be determined at a later time. 

His health is extremely important for the Warriors, as they look to get back to the championship caliber team they were prior to Thompson’s injury. He’s coming off of five-consecutive NBA All-Star appearances in seasons that he has played and was a key piece of Golden State winning three NBA Championships. 

During the 2018-19 season when he was last healthy, Thompson averaged 21.5 points per game while shooting 40.2 percent from deep and was an elite perimeter defender. 

The Warriors need Thompson if they’re going to contend and all signs are pointing to a return this season. 

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Fellow Kings guard De’Aaron Fox spoke to Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee about just how great Mitchell will be for the team this season. 

Mitchell could make an enormous impact as a rookie with his defensive upside. Sacramento is a team that has obtained talent over the past few seasons, but can never put together wins. 

This is largely due to them being one of the worst defensive teams in the entire NBA. Although they already had a crowded backcourt, the Kings made a smart move in acquiring perhaps the best defender in this rookie class to change the mindset of the team defensively. 

Mitchell will have a real opportunity to be a vocal leader, even as a rookie, on defense this season in Sacramento. In NBA Summer League last month, he started to show flashes of that ability. 

The 2021-22 NBA season kicks off in less than a month, when Sacramento attempts to end their long playoff drought. 

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According to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, Bradley was very much open to a return with the Heat, but they weren’t interested in bringing him back at that time. 

Bradley played in ten games with Miami last season, averaging 8.5 points in 21.1 minutes per game while shooting 42.1 percent from deep. As good as Bradley is, the Heat acquired Kyle Lowry, who will take up quite a few minutes at the guard position. 

Either way, Bradley is amongst the handful of players that the Golden State Warriors are working out this week. A savvy NBA veteran, he’ll likely find a place in the League at some point this season. 

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Defense often comes down to effort and making the offensive player uncomfortable. For a guy like Beverley, sticking as close as he can to who he’s defending is a top priority. 

“People don’t like to be touched and I like touching a lot of people,” said Beverley of his defensive mindset in a recent interview. 

On a Timberwolves team that hasn’t made the playoffs since the 2017-18 season, Beverley will be a key veteran. His defensive mindset will be crucial, as several of the young players on the roster have it figured out offensively, but lack the defensive efficiency. 

Beverley will look to get Minnesota off to a good start when they kick off their regular season on Oct. 20 against the Rockets. 

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After one season with the Mavericks in a limited role on a two-way deal, he was not extended a qualifying offer and became a free agent before being acquired by Houston. 

With roster decisions having to be made between now and the start of the season, the Rockets decided to part ways with the 23-year-old after just a few weeks of acquiring him. 

Still an intriguing young prospect, Bey will certainly have the opportunity to be signed to a team’s training camp roster. If all goes well over the next few weeks, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Bey on a two-way contract or minimum deal somewhere around the league for the 2021-22 season. 

Last season in the G League, Bey averaged 15.1 points and 9.2 rebounds per game, showing just how much potential he has. 

The post Houston Rockets Release Former Second-Round Pick Tyler Bey appeared first on SLAM.

Now, heading into the 2021-22 season, the Timberwolves have signed Bolmaro to his rookie scale deal, setting the stage for him to begin his first NBA season. 

Bolmaro just turned 21 years old earlier this month, but already has quite a bit of professional experience. Last season, he averaged 4.9 points in 13.1 minutes per game overseas. Additionally, Bomaro spent some time with the Argentinian national team at the Tokyo Olympics this summer. 

Minnesota has a ton of young talent, with Bolmaro being yet another piece to develop. At 6-foot-7, he’s got great size for a guard. 

The post Minnesota Timberwolves Sign Former First Rounder Leandro Bolmaro appeared first on SLAM.

With that in mind, Beverley was acquired by the Minnesota Timberwolves this summer and is set to be in a different situation than he’s used to. However, that doesn’t mean he expects anything less than greatness.

In a recent press conference, Beverley talked about the extremely high expectations he has for the Timberwolves this season. “I’ve made the playoffs every year since I’ve been in the NBA, and I don’t expect that to change,” said Beverley.

There’s no question that Beverley is a winner, but this Timberwolves team is quite different from the Clippers. While they have a ton of young talent, they were among the worst teams in the NBA last season.

In terms of being a mentor to young guys on the team and bringing energy with a defensive mindset, Beverley will be a solid contributor in Minnesota this season. However, unless things look very different for the Timberwolves than they did last season, he’s in jeopardy of missing the playoffs for the first time in his career.

Last season with the Clippers, Beverley averaged 7.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game in primarily a starting role.

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