Month: December 2024

Pacific Notes: DeRozan, Huerter, Crowder, Reaves, Booker

November 30th, 2024 at 11:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Kings are optimistic that DeMar DeRozan will be back on the court for Sunday’s game against San Antonio, writes Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. After missing the past two games with lower back muscle inflammation, DeRozan was a full participant at today’s practice and is listed as probable on the team’s injury report.

Anderson points out that DeRozan’s early-season battle with injuries has been one of the reasons for the team’s slow start. He missed three games earlier this month with tightness in his lower back, then returned for three games before the back issue flared up again on Monday. DeRozan has been an important cog in the offense when healthy, averaging 22.6 points per game in his first season in Sacramento.

The short-term outlook is less promising for Kevin Huerter, who wasn’t able to practice today, Anderson adds. The veteran guard had to leave Friday’s loss to Portland after rolling his ankle, and he’s considered doubtful to play in Sunday’s contest.

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

In an interview with Sean Cunningham of KTXL (Twitter video link), Jae Crowder talks about the chance to resume his NBA career with the Kings. Crowder admits being disappointed that he wasn’t invited to training camp after auditioning for the team in September, but he’s grateful that the opportunity eventually came. “I thought I had a good week here,” he said of the preseason workout. “I was connecting with the guys in a great way, especially the younger guys latched on to me. … I felt like I did my job in the sense of just being a veteran when I came in the gym, and I just tried to play the right way and give myself a chance to be on this team.”
Lakers guard Austin Reaves suffered a left pelvic contusion, but no structural damage, on a hard fall in Friday’s game against Oklahoma City, per Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times (Bluesky link). Reaves was injured when he landed on his back after being hit by Isaiah Hartenstein and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on a drive to the basket. Reaves stayed in the game to shoot his free throws, but went to the locker room shortly afterward. Woike adds that he traveled with the team on its four-game road trip and will be listed as questionable for Sunday’s game at Utah.
Before tonight’s meeting with the Suns, Warriors coach Steve Kerr once again singled out Devin Booker for adjusting his game to complement the other elite players on the U.S. Olympic team (Twitter video link from PHNX Sports). “It’s not easy for a guy to adapt his normal role of go-to-guy, scorer and then to be asked to be a defender, connector and then thrive in that role,” Kerr said, “and then become a star when we needed him to become a star.”

Celtics Notes: Pritchard, White, Injuries, Mazzulla

November 30th, 2024 at 9:44pm CST by Arthur Hill

Payton Pritchard provided a huge lift off the bench Friday night as the Celtics broke open a close game in Chicago and kept their hopes alive for a spot in the NBA Cup’s knockout round, writes Brian Robb of MassLive. Forced into extra duty after Derrick White left the game with a sprained right foot in the third quarter, Pritchard played 28 minutes, including the final 19, while scoring 29 points. He hit seven three-pointers and scored all the points in a late 11-4 run that put the game away.

“It’s obviously a great feeling but I feel like the best feeling is winning on the road and being able to help my team get over the hump tonight,” Pritchard said. “Obviously I feel it. I can hear the crowd, the gravity it pulls. It definitely was a fun night.”

Pritchard is in his fifth season with Boston, and it seems like a long time ago that he was asking to be traded due to a lack of playing time. He has become one of the most dangerous bench weapons in the league — averaging a career-high 15.6 PPG while shooting 48.5% from the field and 44% from three-point range — and Jayson Tatum is pushing for him to get some individual recognition.

“It’s been pretty cool to see him grow into the player that he is, being effective on a championship team,” Tatum said, “and the things that he’s doing is Sixth Man of the Year worthy for me.”

There’s more on the Celtics:

White’s injury doesn’t appear to be serious, as he’s being listed as questionable for Sunday’s showdown with Cleveland for first place in the East, per Souichi Terada of MassLive. Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford and Jrue Holiday are also questionable, and Terada suggests they may be staggered as Boston prepares for a stretch of five games in seven days.
Other coaches have expressed reservations about running up the score in NBA Cup games to gain a points differential advantage, but Joe Mazzulla enjoys that aspect of the tournament, Terada adds in a separate story. Mazzulla called time out Friday with 1.4 seconds left to set up a Sam Hauser three-pointer that increased the Celtics’ final margin of victory to nine points. “I like it because this tournament and the point differential kind of eliminates the unwritten rules that you’re supposed to follow or not follow,” Mazzulla said. “Where in a normal situation, you wouldn’t do that. But in this one, you get to draw up a play and try to get better in that situation. So guys did a good job executing and we tried to extend the point differential as much as we could.”
Three-point defense was a concern in Friday’s game as Chicago stayed close by sinking 20 shots from beyond the arc, notes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. It was the most all season against the Celtics, who rank fourth in the league in limiting three-pointers. “We had to turn up the pressure a little bit more. We were scoring and maybe we weren’t as physical with them so they felt good about themselves,” Porzingis said. “The second half that was an emphasis for us, being more physical with them, make them work a little bit more for everything.”

Warriors Notes: Curry, Wiggins, Spencer, Jackson-Davis

November 30th, 2024 at 7:35pm CST by Arthur Hill

Stephen Curry is expected to play tonight in Phoenix after missing Wednesday’s game with bilateral knee pain, according to Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN (Twitter link). In a pregame meeting with reporters, Warriors coach Steve Kerr said both Curry and Andrew Wiggins will have to go through warmups before a final decision is made on their status. Wiggins is dealing with a right ankle impingement, but hasn’t missed any games this month.

Curry sat out Golden State’s last contest after playing four games in six days, notes Sam Gordon of The San Francsico Chronicle. He was able to make it through Friday’s practice without an issue, and the Warriors will need him back on the court for another Western Conference showdown after they missed 14 straight shots in Wednesday’s loss to Oklahoma City.

Kerr talked to Gordon about the 12-man rotation he’s been using, which results in numerous five-man lineups during the course of each game. Kerr admitted that building chemistry hasn’t been easy under those conditions.

“What we have to narrow down is — with certain groups, what are three things that we can run really well? That’s on us as coaches to get to that point,” he said. “What’s tricky is, we’ve got a lot of different combinations night after night. It takes a little while longer to really settle into all these actions and patterns.”

There’s more on the Warriors:

Curry’s absence on Wednesday resulted in the first significant opportunity for two-way player Pat Spencer, Gordon adds in a separate story. Making his fourth appearance of the season, the 28-year-old point guard delivered six points, four rebounds and three assists and had a plus-nine rating in his 14 minutes on the court. “It feels good to get minutes, but I think we have a whole team that can play,” Spencer said. “Might be right back out of the rotation. Might be in it the next game. The goal for me is to impact winning and unfortunately, we didn’t get that done. Keep moving forward.”
The Warriors are happy with the production they’re getting from Trayce Jackson-Davis, but they would like to see more emotion from him, per Ron Kroichick of The San Francisco Chronicle. Kerr said he wants the second-year big man moving at full speed all the time instead of sometimes lapsing into a “home-run trot.” “Your makeup is your makeup and he’s not an overly aggressive human being,” Draymond Green added. “So to expect he’s going to be this overly aggressive person on the court, that’s not really realistic. … As a leader it’s on me and (Kevon Looney) to get that fire out of him, to push him.”
Green took the blame for the team’s late-game scoring lapses in the loss to OKC, relays Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area. Without Curry on the court, the Warriors couldn’t match baskets with the talented Thunder. “Just got to settle down and make sure we get into something,” Green said. “Get into some sets. We were a bit scattered, and that’s on me. When the game gets to that point, somebody has to slow the game down and get us into a set. I’m the veteran out there. I’m the one with the most experience out there.”

Central Notes: Pistons, Cunningham, Middleton, Donovan

November 30th, 2024 at 6:25pm CST by Arthur Hill

Coming off years of losing, the Pistons view this year’s NBA Cup as a chance to experience some high-stakes basketball, writes Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press. The Pistons have been one of the surprises of the tournament, winning their first three games by a combined 28 points. They can clinch a spot in the knockout round by defeating Milwaukee on Tuesday, and coach J.B. Bickerstaff said his team is taking the games very seriously.

“Our guys wanted to win. They came out with a sense of urgency,” he said after Friday’s NBA Cup victory over Indiana. “We talked about it, but this gives our guys an opportunity to play games of significance and see how they respond. I thought our guys did a great job of responding in a positive way, playing with that sense of urgency that you need to play with to win games of significance.”

It’s a huge turnaround from last season, when Detroit went 0-4 in Cup play amid a franchise-record losing streak. That memory was fresh for Cade Cunningham, who recalled being embarrassed by the Pacers a year ago.

“We need every game we can get anyways, but I remember last year, Indiana ran it up on us in the in-season tournament and how serious they took it,” he said. “They were going for points, they just beat us up. This game was really personal for us, but in general, we all wanna go to Vegas and we all want to experience winning something. We’re going for it.”

There’s more from the Central Division:

Cunningham had an obvious impact on the team as he returned Friday after missing three games with a left sacroiliac joint sprain, according to Hunter Patterson of The Athletic. Patterson observes that in addition to his production, Cunningham instills confidence in his teammates that enables them to play at a higher level. “Cade is the type of person and player that he’s with you no matter the good and the bad,” Bickerstaff said. “He believes in you because he watches how hard everybody works and he knows what everybody is capable of. When you have a leader that believes in you, it gives you more comfort and more confidence.”
Bucks swingman Khris Middleton will miss another game tonight against Washington, but coach Doc Rivers said he’s getting closer to making his season debut, per Jim Owczarski of The Journal-Sentinel. Middleton had a scheduled day off for Friday’s practice, but he went through a productive five-on-five session earlier in the week. “He’s progressing,” Rivers told reporters. “I’m going to keep saying it. You can ask as many questions as you want, it’s not going to make him come back faster.”
The Bulls have many issues to address, but they don’t need to make a coaching change, contends Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. Billy Donovan has shown an ability to adapt to his personnel, Cowley notes, going from 28th in the league in pace last year to near the top this season.

Pelicans Notes: Payton, Missi, Green, Ingram

November 30th, 2024 at 5:22pm CST by Arthur Hill

Elfrid Payton posted one of the most impressive lines of the season on Monday as he celebrates his return to the NBA. He was gone from the league for more than two full years before the Pelicans gave him a chance amid a rash of injuries. Playing on a non-guaranteed contract, Payton had 21 assists, 14 points, seven rebounds and two steals against Indiana.

Payton’s journey back to the NBA took 920 days after he became a free agent following the 2021/22 season. It meant playing in Puerto Rico and the G League, but Payton tells Will Guillory of The Athletic that he never gave up hope.

“It’s tough when you feel like you can still play but you have to wait for the opportunity,” he said. “It really forces you to show how much you love the game, how much you’re willing to put into it. I just kept believing that day would come.”

Payton grew up in New Orleans, played one prior season with the Pelicans and maintained a relationship with the team while he was out of the league. Guillory states that the Pelicans considered signing him earlier in the season, but he felt tightness in his hamstring after a workout and an MRI showed that he had a slight strain that would necessitate several weeks of rehab. Although he was frustrated by the news, Payton was willing to wait a little longer for his dream.

“I believed the opportunity would come,” he said. “It was longer than I thought or expected, but that ain’t the point. … (There were) some days when I felt like all the work was for nothing. But I had to find ways to keep going. If you really have a passion for the game and a love for the game, you’ve got to find a way to push through.”

There’s more from New Orleans:

Yves Missi already looks like one of the best big men in this year’s draft class, averaging 8.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in his first 19 NBA games. In an interview with Grant Afseth of Sportskeeda, Missi talked about making the adjustment from college. “The NBA is more about trusting my instincts,” he said. “Whenever I feel like I can go for a block, I trust my teammates to have my back and just go for it. It’s about trusting the system while relying on my instincts.”
The Pelicans expected to be contenders coming into the season, but they’ll finish up November last in the Western Conference with a 4-16 record, notes Christian Clark of The New Orleans Times- Picayune. Friday’s loss to Memphis was their seventh straight, but at least they were more competitive than in Wednesday’s blowout against Toronto. Coach Willie Green said he challenged his players after that performance. “We allowed a team to come on our home floor and really make us look soft,” he said. “That’s what I told our group. That can’t happen.”
Brandon Ingram has already been ruled out of Sunday’s game at New York, marking his fourth straight absence with a strained right calf, according to Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (Twitter link).

Injury Notes: Sixers, Gordon, Powell, Richards, Bronny

November 30th, 2024 at 4:02pm CST by Luke Adams

Joel Embiid (left knee injury management and personal reasons) will miss a fourth straight game on Saturday when the Sixers face the Pistons in Detroit, while Kyle Lowry (right hip strain) will sit out for a fifth in a row, according to Noah Levick of NBC Sports Philadelphia.

The good news for the 76ers is that Paul George, who has been out since November 20 due to a left knee bone bruise, has been upgraded to questionable and appears on track to be a game-time decision.

“We did do a good amount of contact and playing as well, so it was good to see,” head coach Nick Nurse said after George participated in Friday’s practice. “He looked pretty good out there.”

As for the status of Embiid’s knee? “The swelling’s gone down a bit,” Nurse said. “Still some soreness there. That’s about all I can say.”

Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:

Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon participated in Saturday’s practice and is nearing a return, head coach Michael Malone said today (Twitter link via Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette). Gordon has been on the shelf for Denver’s past 10 games as he recovers from a right calf strain. His return will be a boon for the Nuggets, who have a +10.3 net rating in Gordon’s 212 minutes on the court this season.
Clippers swingman Norman Powell has missed the team’s past six games due to a left hamstring issue but is expected to return for the four-game homestand that begins on Sunday vs. Denver, writes Janis Carr of The Orange County Register. Powell is the Clippers’ leading scorer so far this season with an average of 23.3 points per game.
Hornets center Nick Richards will be available to play on Saturday against Atlanta for the first time since November 1 after recovering from a broken rib, tweets Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer. With Mark Williams unavailable so far this fall, Richards was Charlotte’s starting center prior to his injury.
Lakers guard Bronny James, who hasn’t played in either the NBA or the G League since November 17 due to a left heel contusion, will begin his ramp-up process after team doctors determined in a Friday exam that the injury is healing, tweets Dave McMenamin of ESPN. James will be reevaluated in one week.

Mavericks Notes: Marshall, Doncic, Klay, Gafford, Washington

November 30th, 2024 at 2:58pm CST by Luke Adams

It came as a bit of a surprise on the first day of free agency this past summer when the Mavericks – whose stated top priority was re-signing starting forward Derrick Jones – lost him to the Clippers and pivoted to signing Naji Marshall to fill Jones’ three-and-D role on the wing. But Marshall has played his role admirably in Dallas so far, as Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal (Substack link) writes.

Known mostly for his defense, Marshall didn’t average more than 9.1 points per game in any of his first four NBA seasons, but he’s up to 12.0 PPG on a career-best 55.4% shooting in his first 19 games as a Maverick, and he has been on fire as of late. In Dallas’ past four games, he has averaged 23.0 PPG on .633/.556/.667 shooting.

“Yeah, I think he’s taking full advantage of being able to get to the paint and use his floater, and he’s now shooting the three,” head coach Jason Kidd said in explaining Marshall’s recent offensive outburst. “And so just, you know, understanding who’s on the floor with him and creating where he doesn’t have to create a lot of space in the sense of his shot because of who’s on the floor. But his aggressiveness and ability to finish were at a high level.”

Marshall’s recent streak of four straight 20-point games came with Luka Doncic sidelined. Klay Thompson also missed the two most recent contests. When the Mavs are healthier, Marshall will likely take a step back offensively. But as Afseth writes, it’s an encouraging sign for Dallas that the defense-first forward is finding his three-point stroke during this stretch. Marshall has knocked down 10-of-19 outside shots since last Friday after making just 4-of-30 (13.3%) in his first 15 games this season.

Here’s more on the Mavs:

Thompson (left foot plantar fascia) didn’t take part in Friday’s practice, but Doncic (right wrist sprain) and Daniel Gafford (illness) were participants, tweets Afseth. Thompson will miss a third straight game on Saturday when the Mavs visit Utah, while Doncic is still listed as doubtful. Gafford is off the injury report and should be active.
Doncic may not return to action on Saturday, but he appears to be close to playing for the first time since November 19. Kidd said the Mavs star “looked good” in Friday’s practice, per ESPN. Saturday’s contest is the first in a back-to-back set, so if Doncic doesn’t suit up tonight, it’s possible he’ll be activated for Sunday’s game in Portland.
Marshall isn’t the only Maverick who has stepped up his game with Doncic and Thompson out. Spencer Dinwiddie (back-to-back 20-point games), Quentin Grimes (21 points on Wednesday), and P.J. Washington (four straight double-doubles) have been standouts and have helped lead Dallas to a 4-1 record in games Doncic has missed. “We need guys like P.J. and Naji to maintain this level of aggressiveness when Luka comes back,” Kidd said, according to Afseth. “It’s not just about one or two players carrying the load—it’s about everyone knowing their role, being confident, and contributing. That’s what makes us dangerous. … Everything we’ve done without (Doncic) only makes us stronger when he’s back.”
Kyrie Irving agreed that the Mavs’ successful stretch without Doncic should only benefit the team in the long run, per Afseth: “This gives our role players an opportunity to step up, take more shots, and learn in real time. When Luka comes back, we’ll be stronger because of it. I’d prefer for us to be 100% healthy, but since that’s not the case, we’re making the most of the situation. I’m staying present and appreciating the effort this team is giving. We know every night is a battle, and I’m proud of how we’ve competed.”

Hoops Rumors Glossary: Trade Rules For Non-Guaranteed Salaries

November 30th, 2024 at 1:41pm CST by Luke Adams

Under past NBA Collective Bargaining Agreements, up until the 2016/17 season, a player’s full cap hit was used for salary-matching purposes in trades, whether or not his salary was guaranteed. If a player had an $10MM salary with a partial guarantee of $1MM, his outgoing salary in a trade was the same as it would have been for a player who had a fully guaranteed $10MM contract.

That’s no longer the case, however. Now, only the guaranteed portion of a player’s contract counts for outgoing salary purposes in a trade, limiting the appeal of non-guaranteed salaries as trade chips.

This detail is crucial for determining how much salary a team can acquire in a trade — unless a team is under the cap, the amount of salary it sends out in a trade dictates how much salary it can take back. The amount of salary an over-the-cap team can acquire in a trade ranges from 100% to 200% of its outgoing salary, depending on exactly how much salary the team is sending out and the team’s proximity to a tax apron.

Under the old system, it might have made sense for a cap-strapped club to trade a player with a guaranteed salary for a player earning an equivalent non-guaranteed salary — the cap-strapped club could then waive that newly-acquired player to cut costs. That’s no longer a viable strategy.

Complicating matters further is the fact that a team can’t simply circumvent the new rules by trading a player before a league year ends on June 30, then having his new team waive him once his new non-guaranteed cap hit goes into effect on July 1. After the end of the regular season, a player’s outgoing salary for trade purposes is the lesser of his current-year salary and the guaranteed portion of his salary for the following season.

Here’s a practical example: During the 2024 offseason, the Warriors explored trade scenarios involving Chris Paul, who made $30.8MM in 2023/24 and had a non-guaranteed $30MM salary for ’24/25. Because the ’23/24 season was over, Paul’s outgoing salary for matching purposes would have been $0, his guarantee for ’24/25, which was (far) less than his total 2023/24 salary.

Sending out Paul without guaranteeing any portion of his salary would have been impractical for the Warriors if they hoped to take any salary back themselves, but they did have the ability to partially or fully guarantee his cap hit in order to make the trade math work. For instance, if Golden State had guaranteed $20MM of Paul’s $30MM salary, $20MM would have become his new outgoing amount for matching purposes.

Finding a sweet spot in that scenario was still a challenge. For instance, it would have worked from the Warriors’ perspective to increase Paul’s partial guarantee to $15MM and use his outgoing salary to acquire a player with a $15MM guaranteed salary. But Golden State’s trade partner would have been sending out a $15MM player and having to account for Paul’s full $30MM incoming salary (not just his partial guarantee), so the math likely wouldn’t have worked for that team. Paul was ultimately waived prior to his guarantee deadline when the Warriors couldn’t find a legal deal they liked.

During the first half of a season, the math on non-guaranteed contracts is a little trickier, since the guaranteed portion of a player’s salary increases for each day he’s on the roster.

For example, Pistons big man Paul Reed is making $7,723,000 this season and that amount is non-guaranteed. However, November 30 (the date this article is being published) is the 40th day of the regular season, meaning Reed has already earned 40/174ths of his salary. That works out to $1,775,402, which is what Reed’s outgoing amount for matching purposes would be if he were traded today.

Reed’s outgoing amount will continue to increase every day until January 10, which is the NBA’s league-wide salary guarantee date. At that point, Reed’s $7,723,000 salary would become fully guaranteed and would be his outgoing amount in any trade for the rest of the regular season.

To paint a complete picture of exactly how these new rules work, let’s assume a free agent signed a two-year, $24MM contract during the summer of 2024. His cap hit in each year is $12MM, but the first season of the contract is partially guaranteed for $3MM, while the second year is fully non-guaranteed. Here’s how it would count, for trade purposes, as outgoing salary:

From the date of the signing until the one-quarter mark of the 2024/25 season:
- $3MM
- Note: Due to other CBA rules, the player wouldn’t become trade-eligible until at least December 15, 2024 anyway.
From the one-quarter mark of the 2024/25 regular season until all salaries become guaranteed on January 10, 2025:
- A prorated amount of the salary based on the player’s earnings to date.
- Note: The player would earn 1/174th of his $12MM salary per day; so 60 days into the season, his outgoing salary in a trade would be $4,137,931 (60/174ths of $12MM).
From January 10, 2025 until the 2025 trade deadline:
- $12MM
From the day after the team’s 2024/25 season ends until the start of the 2025/26 regular season:
- $0
From the start of the 2025/26 regular season until salaries become guaranteed on January 10, 2026:
- A prorated amount of salary based on earnings to date.
- Note: The player would once again earn 1/174th of his $12MM salary per day; so 10 days into the season, his outgoing salary in a trade would be $689,655 (10/174ths of $12MM).
From January 10, 2026 until the 2026 trade deadline:
- $12MM

This change to the NBA’s trade rules hasn’t stopped teams from tacking on non-guaranteed years to the end of certain players’ contracts, since those non-guaranteed salaries still provide flexibility. However, we’re not seeing teams construct contracts with non-guaranteed cap hits solely for trade purposes like we occasionally used to.

Note: This is a Hoops Rumors Glossary entry. Our glossary posts will explain specific rules relating to trades, free agency, or other aspects of the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. Larry Coon’s Salary Cap FAQ was used in the creation of this post.

A previous version of this article was published in 2023.

LaMelo Ball To Miss At Least Two Weeks

November 30th, 2024 at 12:12pm CST by Luke Adams

Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball has been diagnosed with a left calf strain, the team announced today in a press release. Ball’s injury, which he sustained during Wednesday’s game vs. Miami, was initially listed as left calf soreness before he underwent additional evaluation.

According to the Hornets, their leading scorer will be reevaluated two weeks from the date the injury, which would be December 11.

That means that Ball, who missed his first game of the season on Friday vs. New York, will remain sidelined for at least Charlotte’s next five games – against the Hawks, Sixers, Knicks, Cavaliers, and Pacers – and could be out beyond that.

Ball has been one of the NBA’s most dynamic players so far this season, averaging a career-high 31.3 points per game to go along with 6.9 assists and 5.4 rebounds per night. His shooting percentage is a modest 43.0%, he’s averaging 4.5 turnovers per game, and his defense has been subpar, but the Hornets will certainly miss the 23-year-old on the offensive end of the floor.

The Hornets also announced today that guard Tre Mann, who has missed the past four games due to low back soreness, has been diagnosed with disc irritation. Mann will be reevaluated in two weeks, which would be Dec. 14.

Mann, who is in his fourth NBA season, got off to a solid start this fall, with averages of 14.1 PPG, 3.0 APG, and 2.9 RPG, along with a .400 3PT%, in his first 13 games off the bench (24.5 MPG). He’ll be a restricted free agent at the end of the season.

The banged-up Hornets will lean heavily on third-string point guard Vasilije Micic with Ball and Mann unavailable — the Serbian played 31 minutes in Friday’s loss to New York. Nick Smith Jr., KJ Simpson, and Seth Curry are among the other candidates for increased roles in the backcourt.

There is some good news on the injury front for Charlotte. Center Nick Richards, who hasn’t played since November 1 due to a broken rib, has been upgraded to questionable for Saturday’s game vs. Atlanta. It sounds like he’s on track to make his return either tonight or on Tuesday vs. Philadelphia.

Pacific Notes: Kawhi, Lakers, Crowder, Beal, Nurkic

November 30th, 2024 at 11:37am CST by Luke Adams

Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard is “progressing well” in his recovery from the right knee issue that has sidelined him this fall and postponed his season debut, head coach Tyronn Lue told reporters on Friday (Twitter video link via Law Murray of The Athletic).

“He’s been able to get on the court and do some things on the court, which is good for us,” Lue said. “Just still checking every box, making sure he’s doing the right things and his workouts are really good. Making sure we don’t let it get to the next step until he checks those boxes. Our medical staff has done a great job with that, making sure that we make sure he’s 100% when he comes back.”

Following Paul George‘s departure in free agency and without Leonard available to open the season, the Clippers weren’t viewed as a serious contender in the Western Conference entering this season.

However, they’ve held their own in Kawhi’s absence, posting a 12-9 record through the first quarter of the season, good for eighth in a competitive Western Conference. Lue said on Friday that Leonard is “very excited” about what he’s seen from the team so far and is looking forward to helping out when he returns. Still, there’s no set timeline for when that will happen.

Here’s more from the Pacific Division:

When they replaced D’Angelo Russell with Cam Reddish in their starting lineup earlier this season, the Lakers were making an effort to solidify their defense. Their most recent lineup tweak – elevating rookie Dalton Knecht and moving Reddish back to the second unit – suggests they’re leaning more into their greatest strength, their offensive firepower, says Khobi Price of The Orange County Register. Before being held to a season-low 93 points on Friday against the NBA’s No. 1 defense (Oklahoma City), the Lakers had the league’s fourth-best offensive rating (116.3).
James Ham of The Kings Beat takes a closer look at what newly added forward Jae Crowder brings to the table for the Kings, pointing out that the 34-year-old is the kind of defensive-minded veteran that head coach Mike Brown likes to rely on. Crowder figures to move from the starting five to the bench once DeMar DeRozan is healthy, but he’ll likely still get regular minutes, Ham writes.
Suns guard Bradley Beal appears to have avoided a major setback after exiting Wednesday’s game early due to calf and ankle soreness. As Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic (Twitter links) relays, Beal (left calf injury management) and Jusuf Nurkic (right quad contusion) are both officially listed as questionable for Saturday’s game vs. Golden State, though head coach Mike Budenholzer told reporters on Friday that he viewed them as probable to play.

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