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Heat rookie Nikola Jovic currently playing in G League

Via the South Florida Sun Sentinel:

It’s about the experience, the minutes, the speed and strength of something closer to the NBA game.

That has been the message for Miami Heat rookie big man Nikola Jovic when it comes to his seasoning in the G League.

And it is an essential message when it comes to maintaining perspective, considering that in his five G League appearances so far, the 6-foot-10 first-round pick out of Serbia is shooting .255 from the field and .143 on 3-pointers.

“I’m not worried about that,” coach Erik Spoelstra said, with the Heat on Saturday facing the San Antonio Spurs in Mexico City before a two-day break and start of a four-game homestand. “He’s really been working at it, and sometimes you just need to feel comfortable to be able to knock down open shots.”

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Jazz road trip begins with trip to Milwaukee

Via the Deseret News:

On Saturday, the Jazz will begin a three-game stretch on the road that will not only be tough, but will also take the Jazz’s longest-tenured players on a stroll down memory lane.

The first stop is in Milwaukee to face Giannis Antetokoumpo and the Bucks. But it’s another Bucks forward that will be more familiar to the Jazz — Joe Ingles.

Ingles still hasn’t played after the ACL injury and surgery that cut his season short before being traded away from the Jazz. Despite his recovery timetable, the Bucks signed Ingles in the offseason.

Ingles has begun on-court work and has even been getting reps in with the Bucks’ G League team, and earlier this week Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said that Ingles is getting close to returning, but warned that Ingles would need time to get his conditioning to a level that’s ready for an NBA game. Still, those are signs that could add a little more intrig

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James Harden speaks on time with Nets

Via the New York Post:

James Harden’s time with the Nets was brief, complicated and ultimately a flop.

But the organization was as much to blame as anyone, according to Harden.

“I don’t mean to, like, just down talk to anybody or whatever. It was just, there was no structure and even superstars, they need structure,” Harden said in an interview with Fox Sports in an interview that took place five days before the Nets fired Steve Nash and was published Friday. “That’s what allows us to be the best players and leaders for our respective organizations.

“I just feel like internally, things weren’t what I expected when I was trying to get traded there. I think everybody knows that. And I knew people were going to talk and say, ‘You quit’ and all that stuff, but then the following summer, the other superstar there [Kevin Durant] wanted to leave. So it’s like: Am I still the quitter?”

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Anthony Davis exits early in Lakers win over Nuggets

Via the OC Register:

The start of the second half featured a concerning moment for Lakers fans everywhere: Anthony Davis didn’t come back out on the court.

Teammates, coaches and team officials have tied the success of the franchise to Davis’ high performance and good health – which has been seen too infrequently over the past two years. Davis sitting out the second half Friday night against the Denver Nuggets with a right foot injury struck as an ill omen.

Except something funny happened: It didn’t slow down the Lakers.

LeBron James and Russell Westbrook, the two stars who have often seemed like a clunky on-court fit, powered a surprising 126-108 victory against the Nuggets, the third-place team in the Western Conference. After two disappointing overtime losses in their previous three games against high-level opponents, the Lakers (12-16) came out hungry and hustling, in spite of a size advantage that never really became an issue.

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Pistons guard Cade Cunningham undergoes season-ending surgery

Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham underwent surgery on Friday, December 16 to stabilize and promote complete healing of a left tibial stress fracture.

The surgery was performed by Dr. David Porter and Dr. Mark Ritter of Forte Sports Medicine and Orthopedics (Carmel, IN) in consultation with team orthopedic surgeon Dr. Bill Moutzouros of Henry Ford Health, who was also present.

The 6-foot-6 guard is expected to miss the remainder of the season with doctors anticipating a recovery and return to full basketball activities this offseason.

Per the Detroit Free Press, “the 2021 No. 1 overall pick was initially shut down for five games after Nov. 9 for what the team characterized as “shin soreness,” but there was suspicion a stress fracture was the cause of the underlying soreness Cunningham had been dealing with for an extended period of time. He averaged 19.9 points on poor efficiency (41.5% on field goals, 27.9% on 3-pointers) with 6.2 rebounds and six assists a game in 12 appearances this season.”

The latest on Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves

Via the St. Paul Pioneer Press:

The Timberwolves being without both of their two point guards, D’Angelo Russell and Jordan McLaughlin, on Wednesday in Los Angeles was certainly detrimental for the team’s chances of victories. The Timberwolves have a tough enough time running a fluid offense that doesn’t give the ball away even with one of them on the court.

So it wasn’t surprising to see them struggle offensively in the loss to the Clippers.

But the short-term pain may come with long-term growth, particularly in regards to 21-year-old guard Anthony Edwards. A pure shooting guard, Edwards is now thrust into being the team’s primary ball-handler. That’s a lot of responsibility for any young player as is. But Edwards faced another challenge Wednesday, when the Clippers started trapping the guard out at the top of the arc.

To Edwards’ credit, he handled the look beautifully.

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Celtics center Robert Williams set to make season debut

Boston Celtics center Robert Williams, who has not played yet this season, per multiple reports, plans to make his 2022-23 debut this Friday against the Orlando Magic.

The Celtics boast a league-best 22-7 record through Wednesday’s games. They’re being led in scoring by Jayson Tatum at 30.2 PPG, Jaylen Brown at 26.6 PPG, and Malcolm Brogdon at 13.9 PPG.

At 9-20, the Magic have the 3rd worst record in the NBA, but they’re playing well lately and are riding a four-game winning streak.

Pistons guard Cade Cunningham to undergo season-ending surgery

Via the Detroit Free Press:

Cade Cunningham made the right decision for himself and for the Detroit Pistons. But that doesn’t mean it was an easy decision.

Cunningham, who will undergo season-ending surgery to repair a stress fracture in his left shin later this week, took a few weeks to make the biggest decision of his young NBA career. He had been dealing with shin soreness off and on since at least last season, but the team didn’t suspect there was a more severe cause until it flared up again toward the start of this season. There was a chance his shin would’ve healed after an extended period of rest, but surgery should ultimately fix the issue for good.

Cunningham will miss the rest of the season. His final game came Nov. 9, and he only played in 12 games before the team decided to shut him down. It’s an unfortunate development for a rebuilding Pistons team that expected to be better this season, with Cunningham, the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2021, leading the way. While they don’t anticipate Cunningham’s surgery negatively impacting their rebuild long term, they will have to navigate the near future without him.

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