Inside Hoops – Page 519 – NBA Blog

Timberwolves rookies ready to work

Tons of attention goes towards big-name rookies, but each year plenty of less heralded players emerge, and tracking them, from draft through summer league through the season, is always lots of fun. Here’s the Minneapolis Star Tribune reporting on some new Timberwolves:

New Timberwolves Josh Okogie and Keita Bates-Diop met the Twin Cities media on Tuesday outside the team offices and were set to start their new jobs quickly.

“We’ll begin tonight — their first workout is tonight,” said Wolves coach and president of basketball operations Tom Thibodeau.

The players, taken in the NBA Draft on Thursday night, said they were ready to make the big step.

“I think the biggest piece of advice I’ve received is that I’m in charge of my day-to-day, my decisions,” said Okogie, a 6-4 shooting guard who was the team’s first round pick (20th overall) out of Georgia Tech. “I have to be well-suited on and off the court.”

Bates-Diop was taken in the second round (48th) after winning Big Ten player of the year honors as a guard/forward at Ohio State. He was pegged as a first rounder in many mock drafts, but if his fall to the second round hurt him, he didn’t show it.

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Stephen Curry names a favorite food truck

It’s the offseason. Which means focusing on basketball things like the draft, free agency, summer league and more, but also fun stuff like… food trucks that NBA players enjoy. Here’s the SF Chronicle reporting on Warriors star Stephen Curry and one place he likes to grab a bite from:

Ayesha Curry may be known for her sit-down San Francisco restaurant, but when the Curry family eats out, they certainly love a food truck.

In his new YouTube series “Five Minutes From Home,” Stephen Curry took YouTube star Rudy Mancuso — you might recognize him as the guy in Curry’s Brita commercial — to “one of the best food trucks in Oakland.” The pair hopped in a Sprinter van to Scotch Bonnet, a Jamaican food truck that makes stops all around the Bay Area.

Of course, the pair ordered the curry shrimp, with Curry adding an order of their popular beef patties.

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JaVale McGee hopes to stick with Warriors

There have been lots of jokes over the years about some of JaVale McGee’s decision-making on the court. But the fact is, he did some huge things in a supporting role for the Warriors, especially when it mattered most — in the Finals. Here’s ESPN.com reporting that McGee hopes to continue his low-cost winning ways with Golden State:

Free-agent center JaVale McGee told ESPN he wishes to return to the Golden State Warriors and has no desire to relocate.

“I haven’t thought about [another team] mainly because, hopefully, in my mind, I’m a Warrior for the rest of my career,” he said to ESPN on Monday, six days before the free-agency period begins on July 1. “If that happens, it would be a blessing.”

The first half of the 2017-18 season saw the 7-footer receive minimal playing time, including 16 DNPs. But after the All-Star break, head coach Steve Kerr inserted McGee into the starting lineup in place of Zaza Pachulia to try to spark the Warriors, who were struggling by their own standards.

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Orlando Magic waive Shelvin Mack

The Orlando Magic have waived guard Shelvin Mack.

Mack played in 69 games (three starts) last season with the Magic, and averaged 6.9 ppg., 3.9 apg. and 2.4 rpg. in 19.8 minutes per outing. His assists-to-turnover ratio of 3.06 (272/89) ranked 11th in the NBA.

Originally drafted in the second round (34th overall) of the 2011 NBA Draft by Washington, Mack has appeared in 399 regular season games (53 starts) during his NBA career with Washington, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Utah and Orlando, averaging 6.4 ppg., 3.1 apg. and 2.0 rpg. in 17.9 minpg.

Grizzlies waive Omari Johnson

The Memphis Grizzlies have waived forward Omari Johnson.

Johnson (6-9, 220) came off the bench in four games with the Grizzlies as a rookie last season and averaged 5.5 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 18.8 minutes after signing with the team on April 6. The 28-year-old Kingston, Jamaica native started the season with the Grizzlies’ NBA G League affiliate, the Memphis Hustle, where he appeared in 44 games (38 starts) and averaged 16.6 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 27.9 minutes.

Glance at 2018 Knicks free agency

Here’s NY Newsday with some insight on what 2018 Knicks free agency this July may look like:

Their plan is to not sign anyone to long-term deals and to shed contracts that have more than one-year remaining on it. That means Courtney Lee and Joakim Noah might not be Knicks for much longer.

Enes Kanter has an $18.6 million option that he needs to make a decision on by the end of the month. The Knicks are not expected to give him a multiyear deal if he opts out, so odds are Kanter, who loves New York, will pick up his option. The Knicks would be fine with that.

The Knicks’ resources will be limited this summer. Their goal is to have the money in 2019 when the likes of Kyrie Irving, Jimmy Butler, Kawhi Leonard, Klay Thompson, Kemba Walker and Kevin Love are free agents. There already are rumblings about Irving’s desire to join the Knicks. He listed them among his preferred destinations when he asked out of Cleveland.

The Knicks want to make New York a desirable location again for free agents.

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Spurs draft Lonnie Walker with 18th pick

The San Antonio Spurs selected Lonnie Walker IV with the 18th overall pick in the first round and Chimezie Metu with the 49th overall selection in the second round of the 2018 NBA Draft, which took place last night in Brooklyn, NY.

Walker, 6-5/205, played last season at Miami University, leading the Hurricanes in scoring by averaging 11.5 points to go along with 2.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 27.8 minutes in his 32 appearances. The Reading, Pa. native was named to the ACC All-Freshman Team in his lone season at Miami. Walker also became the first freshman in school history to earn all-league honors, receiving Honorable Mention All-ACC, while helping the Hurricanes finish 22-10.

Metu, 6-11/225, spent last year at the University of Southern California earning All-Pac-12 First Team honors. The Lawndale, Calif. native averaged 15.7 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.74 blocks in 31.0 minutes in 34 appearances last year during his junior season for the Trojans. Metu played in a total of 104 games and averaged 12.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.62 blocks in his three seasons at USC, finishing his career third in school history with 168 blocks.

Bucks draft Donte DiVincenzo with 17th pick

The Milwaukee Bucks selected Villanova guard Donte DiVincenzo with the 17th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft.

A 6-foot-5, 205-pound sophomore, DiVincenzo was named the 2017-18 BIG EAST Sixth Man of the Year after he averaged 13.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 48.1 percent from the field and 40.1 percent from 3-point range. DiVincenzo was selected as the 2018 Final Four Most Outstanding Player after he averaged 23.0 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game in the Final Four, including scoring 31 points on 10-of-15 shooting in the Wildcats’ win over Michigan in the national championship game.

DiVincenzo emerged as a redshirt freshman in 2016-17 as he was named to the BIG EAST All-Freshman team after averaging 8.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game while shooting 46.6 percent from the field and 36.5 percent from 3-point range. The Newark, Delaware, native appeared in 84 games over three seasons (2015-18) with Villanova, and holds career averages of 10.4 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 25.8 minutes per game. He finished his career as a 46.9 percent shooter with a 37.8 shooting percentage from 3-point range.

Sixers trade for draft rights to No. 16 pick Zhaire Smith

The Philadelphia 76ers acquired the draft rights to the 16th overall pick, guard-forward Zhaire Smith from Texas Tech, and the Miami Heat’s unprotected 2021 first-round pick via the Phoenix Suns in exchange for the draft rights to the 10th overall pick, guard-forward Mikal Bridges from Villanova. Then, with the 26th overall pick, the 76ers drafted guard Landry Shamet from Wichita State.

In his lone collegiate season at Texas Tech, Smith averaged 11.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.1 blocks and 1.1 steals in 28.4 minutes per game. The 6-foot-5 guard-forward helped lead the Red Raiders to the school’s first Elite Eight appearance in program history, averaging 12.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in four NCAA tournament games.

Over the course of the 2017-18 season, Smith totaled 417 points, a Texas Tech single-season freshman record. He also led the team in rebounds (185) and blocks (42), which ranked top 10 in Big 12 play.

The Garland, Texas native became the first freshman in program history to secure All-Big 12 Honorable Mention. Smith also received All-Big 12 Defensive Team and All-Big 12 Newcomer Team selections.

Shamet, a product of Kansas City, Missouri, averaged 14.9 points, 5.2 assists and 3.2 rebounds in 31.7 minutes per game in his junior season at Wichita State. The 6-foot-4 guard led the American Athletic Conference (AAC) in both three-point percentage (.442) and assists (166), while his .825 free-throw percentage ranked third in the conference.

Philadelphia traded the draft rights to the 38th overall pick, Khryi Thomas from Creighton, to Detroit in exchange for two future second-round picks. In addition, the team drafted Isaac Bonga from Skyliners Frankfurt with the 39th overall pick.

The 76ers acquired the draft rights to the 54th overall pick, Shake Milton from SMU, via Dallas in exchange for the draft rights to the 56th overall pick, Ray Spalding from Louisville, and the 60th overall pick, Kostas Antetokounmpo from Dayton.

Milton, a 6-foot-5 guard, averaged 18.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.4 assists in his junior season at SMU.

Wizards draft Troy Brown with first round pick No. 15

The Washington Wizards selected Troy Brown Jr. out of Oregon and Issuf Sanon out of Slovenia in the 2018 NBA Draft.

Brown Jr., a 6-7, 215-pound swingman, was selected with the 15th overall pick. In his lone season at Oregon, he averaged 11.3 points, a team-high 6.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists. In addition, he recorded a team-best 55 steals and finished just one assist shy of a triple double against Portland State on Dec. 13 when he recorded 10 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high nine assists.

“Troy is a very versatile player with a high basketball IQ, great work ethic and outstanding character,” said Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld. “He will be able to play and defend three positions and his playmaking abilities will allow him to create opportunities for himself and his teammates.”

A native of Las Vegas, NV, Brown was selected to play in the McDonald’s All-American Game, Jordan Brand Classic and Nike Hoop Summit in 2017 at Centennial High School. He was also a member of the gold medal-winning 2016 USA Basketball Men’s U17 World Championship team.

“I was impressed with Troy both on and off the court throughout the draft process and I’m excited to have him work with our coaches throughout the summer,” said Wizards Head Coach Scott Brooks. “His size, toughness and all-around game make him a good fit for our roster and will give him the opportunity to earn minutes as a young player.”

Sanon, a 6-4, 177-pound guard, was selected 44th overall by the Wizards. He averaged 22.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.8 assists over the last two seasons in Ukraine’s 2nd Division before moving to Olimpija in Slovenia in January.

“Issuf is a young player who will be able to continue to play at a high level overseas and develop his game as we monitor him, much like we did with Tomas Satoransky,” said Grunfeld. “His athleticism, size and competitive nature were all very intriguing and we feel he can be a player who will help us in the future after gaining more experience.”

A native of Ukraine, Sanon averaged 19.3 points (second in the division), 6.1 rebounds, 3.4 steals and 2.7 assists with Ukraine’s U18 National Team at the 2017 U18 Euros.