Inside Hoops – Page 186 – NBA Blog

Cleveland Cavaliers sign R.J. Nembhard to two-way contract

The Cleveland Cavaliers yesterday signed guard R.J. Nembhard to a Two-Way contract, Cavaliers President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman announced from Cleveland Clinic Courts.

Nembhard (6-5, 200), who went undrafted out of Texas Christian University in 2021, originally signed a Two-Way contract with Cleveland on Oct. 16 and appeared in 14 games for the Cavaliers this past season. He was converted to a standard NBA contract on March 31 and waived on April 7 before signing a second Two-Way contract with the Cavaliers on April 10. Nembhard also played in 15 games (14 starts) for the Cleveland Charge, the Cavaliers’ exclusively owned and operated NBA G League team, averaging 24.5 points, 8.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists in 38.4 minutes per contest. He joins Isaiah Mobley as a Two-Way player with the Cavaliers.

Atlanta Hawks sign rookie AJ Griffin

The Atlanta Hawks yesterday signed 2022 first round pick (16th overall) AJ Griffin.

Griffin appeared in 39 games (25 starts) during his freshman season at Duke, averaging 10.4 points and 3.9 rebounds in 24.0 minutes per game, helping to lead the Blue Devils to their 20th ACC regular season title in program history, a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament and the team’s 17th Final Four appearance (.493 FG%, .447 3FG%, .792 FT%).

An Honorable Mention All-ACC and a member of the ACC All-Freshman Team, Griffin’s .447 clip from three-point territory ranked fifth in Duke history and second by a Blue Devil freshman. He scored 10-or-more points in 23 of his 39 games, including five games of 20-or-more. The 6-6 forward poured in a career-high 27 points on 11-17 shooting from the floor, including a 3-6 mark from deep, in an 87-67 win over rival North Carolina on Feb. 5. His 27 points tied the fourth-most points by a Blue Devil in their first Duke-UNC game. In a 74-65 victory against Louisville on Jan. 29, Griffin shot a perfect 5-5 (1.000 3FG%) from the three-point line, marking the highest three-point percentage by a Duke freshman on a minimum five attempts.

Prior to arriving at Duke, Griffin, a five-star small forward out of Archbishop Stepinac in White Plains, New York, was ranked as the No. 9 overall player in ESPN 100’s rankings for the class of 2021, as well as the No. 1 player in the state of New York and the No. 1 small forward in the ESPN 100. He won a gold medal with Team USA at the 2019 FIBA Americas U16 Championship, notching 13.5 points and a team-high 3.3 steals in six contests. Griffin’s father, Adrian Griffin, played in the NBA for 10 seasons and is currently an assistant coach with the Toronto Raptors.

Nuggets sign rookies Christian Braun and Peyton Watson

The Denver Nuggets have signed rookie first round draft picks Christian Braun and Peyton Watson, General Manager Calvin Booth announced today.

Braun, 6-7, 218, played three seasons and appeared in 101 games (74 starts) for the University of Kansas, averaging 10.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.0 steals while shooting 50.8% from the field and 37.8% from three. He was named to the 2022 All-Big 12 Second Team and NCAA Tournament All-Midwest Region Team while helping Kansas capture the 2021-2022 NCAA National Championship. Braun played 40 minutes in the championship game, posting 12 points, 12 rebounds and three assists. He became Kansas’ 65th all-time 1,000-point scorer in KU’s Final Four semifinal win against Villanova.

Watson, 6-8, 200, played in 32 games, averaging 3.3 and 2.9 rebounds in 12.7 minutes per game for UCLA as a freshman. He was named as an honorable mention Pac-12 All-Freshman Team selection and ranked second on the team in blocked shots (19). He also helped lead the USA Men’s Basketball U19 Team win the gold medal at the FIBA U19 World Cup in July 2021.

Both players will appear on Denver’s 2022 Las Vegas Summer League entry. Braun will wear #0 and Watson will wear #8 for the Nuggets.

Nuggets sign rookie Collin Gillespie to two-way contract

The Denver Nuggets have signed rookie guard Collin Gillespie to a two-way contract, General Manager Calvin Booth announced today.

Gillespie, 6-3, 195, appeared in 156 games (125 starts) in five seasons at Villanova University, averaging 11.9 points, 3.1 assists and 2.9 rebounds while shooting 42.2% from the field and 38.7% from three in 29.0 minutes per game. Gillespie earned the 2021-22 Bob Cousy Award as the nation’s top point guard, helping to guide the Wildcats to the NCAA Final Four after recovering from a knee injury that ended his 2021 season prematurely. He ended his career at Villanova with a National Championship (2018), two Final Four appearances and two Big East Player of the Year awards.

The Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania native, went undrafted in the 2022 NBA Draft. Gillespie will appear on Denver’s 2022 Las Vegas Summer League entry and will wear #21 for the Nuggets.

Sacramento Kings sign rookie Keegan Murray

The Sacramento Kings have signed rookie forward Keegan Murray, according to General Manager Monte McNair.

“Keegan is an incredibly versatile, well-rounded player with a high basketball IQ,” said McNair. “He will be a tremendous asset to our team and we are excited to welcome him to the Kings family.”

The fourth overall selection in the 2022 NBA Draft garnered averages of 23.5 points (.554 FG%, .398 3PT%, .747 FT%), 8.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.3 steals and 31.9 minutes per game in 35 games (all starts) during his sophomore season at Iowa (2021-22). Murray led the Hawkeyes to a NCAA Tournament appearance, while earning All-Big Ten first-team honors (2021-22).

A 6-8, 215-pound forward, Murray earned consensus All-American first-team honors (2021-22), Karl Malone Power Forward of the year (2021-22), Finalist for the 2021-22 Wooden award and Naismith Trophy, and was the Big Ten Tournament Most Outstanding Player (2022).

The Cedar Rapids, Iowa native set the Big Ten Tournament scoring record with 103 points in four games and was the second player in Division I history to amass at least 800 points, 60 blocks and 60 three-pointers in a season.

Sixers sign rookie Julian Champagnie to two-way contract

Philadelphia 76ers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey announced today that the team has signed Julian Champagnie to a two-way contract.

Champagnie joins Philadelphia after playing for the St. John’s Red Storm for three collegiate seasons, posting averages of 16.0 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game. These numbers led to Champagnie earning two consecutive First Team All-Big East selections, becoming the seventh player in Red Storm history to earn the honor twice.

In his third and final college season, he averaged 19.2 points, which ranked second in the conference. By the end of his college career, Champagnie ranked 20th on the St. John’s program’s all-time scoring list with 1,408 total points while his 149 made threes rank fourth in Red Storm history.

As a sophomore, Champagnie more than doubled his scoring average to 19.8 points which led the conference along with upping his boards per game to 7.4 per contest. He also led the Big East with a free throw percentage of .887, eventually capturing 2020-21 Big East Most Improved Player honors. In his debut season, he was named to the Big East All-Freshman team with averages of 9.9 points and 6.5 rebounds.

A Staten Island native, Champagnie is the twin brother of Justin Champagnie who most recently played for the Toronto Raptors.

Per NBA rules, teams are permitted to have a maximum of two players under two-way contracts in addition to the players under standard NBA contracts. A two-way player for the 76ers will also be eligible to provide services to the team’s G League affiliate – the Delaware Blue Coats.

Sacramento Kings sign Neemias Queta and rookie Keon Ellis to two-way contracts

The Sacramento Kings have signed center Neemias Queta and rookie guard Keon Ellis to two-way contracts, according to General Manager Monte McNair.

During his rookie season, Queta appeared in 14 games with Sacramento as a Two-Way player, averaging 3.2 points (.447 FG%, .647 FT%), 2.2 rebounds, 0.4 assists, 0.1 steals and 8.6 minutes per game.

Undrafted out of the University of Alabama, Ellis appeared in 33 games (all starts), averaging 12.1 points (.439 FG%, .366 3pt%, .881 FT%), 6.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.9 steals and 30.9 minutes per game during his senior season (2021-22).

The 6-6, 175-pound guard earned All-SEC Defensive Team accolades (2021-22), led the SEC, and ranked 24th nationally in free throw percentage (.881) in 2021-22, finished fifth in the SEC in steals (1.94), eighth in three-pointers made per game (2.03) and 14th in rebounding (6.1) in 2021-22. Prior to Alabama, Ellis played two seasons at Florida Southwestern State College (2018-20) and was named to the National Junior College Athletic Association All-American Second Team in 2019-20.

Cavaliers sign rookies Ochai Agbaji and Isaiah Mobley

The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed 2022 NBA Draft picks Ochai Agbaji and Isaiah Mobley, President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman announced today from Cleveland Clinic Courts.

Agbaji (6-5, 215) was selected by the Cavaliers with the 14th pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. Agbaji started in all 39 games this past season as a senior at Kansas, averaging a Big-12 leading 18.8 points and 5.1 rebounds in a team-high 35.0 minutes. Agbaji also finished second in the Big-12 in three-point percentage (.409) and three-point field goals made per game (2.64). He helped lead Kansas to its fourth national championship in program history under head coach Bill Self and was named the 2022 NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player. Agbaji also finished as a 2021-22 consensus All-American First Team selection as well as the 2021-22 Big 12 Player of the Year.

The four-year guard played in 122 games (116 starts) in his career at Kansas, averaging 13.6 points (.374 3FG%), 4.4 rebounds and 1.0 steals in 32.6 minutes and finished fourth in Kansas history in three-pointers made (250 3FGM). During his tenure, Agbaji also set a program record by making a three-pointer in 53 consecutive games. He also ended his Kansas career ranked 15th in points (1,652), seventh in consecutive starts (98) and ninth in minutes played (3,978) and he is also a three-time All-Big 12 as well as an Academic All-Big 12 selection.

Mobley (6-10, 240), who signed a Two-Way contract with the Cavaliers, appeared in 32 games (all starts) as a junior for USC this past season, averaging team-highs in points (14.2) and rebounds (8.3) in 34.1 minutes. Mobley played in 95 career games (72 starts) for the Trojans and held career averages of 10.1 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 27.5 minutes. His brother Evan Mobley was an NBA All-Rookie First Team selection for the Cavaliers this past season and was selected with the 3rd pick by the Cavaliers in the 2021 NBA Draft.

Thunder sign Eugene Omoruyi to two-way contract

The Oklahoma City Thunder have signed forward Eugene Omoruyi to a Two-Way Contract, it was announced today by Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti.

Omoruyi (6-6, 235) [oh-mo-ROO-yee] spent part of the 2021-22 season on a Two-Way Contract with the Dallas Mavericks where in four appearances, he totaled seven points, seven rebounds and two assists in 18 minutes. In eight games (seven starts) with the Mavericks’ G League affiliate, the Texas Legends, he averaged 15.8 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 25.3 minutes per game.

Hornets sign rookie Bryce McGowens to two-way contract

The Charlotte Hornets have signed guard/forward Bryce McGowens to a two-way contract.

McGowens was drafted in the second round (40th pick overall) by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2022 NBA Draft, and traded to the Hornets.

A native of Pendleton, South Carolina, McGowens averaged 16.8 points and 5.2 rebounds in 33.3 minutes per game as a freshman at Nebraska in 2021-22, starting all 31 games in which he appeared. The 6-7 guard/forward earned All-Big Ten Third Team honors and was named Big Ten Newcomer of the Year by the media. McGowens led the Cornhuskers in scoring and ranked ninth in the Big Ten, while also ranking third in the conference in free-throw percentage (83.1%).

McGowens, who set Nebraska’s single-season freshman records for total points (522) and free throws made (162), ranked third nationally among freshmen in points per game and led all freshman nationally in free throws made. His average of 17.3 points in Big Ten play was the highest scoring average in conference games by a freshman since D’Angelo Russell in 2014-15. He scored 20 points or more in 11 games and became just the second freshman in program history with multiple 25-point performances, tallying six on the season.