Inside Hoops – Page 703 – NBA Blog

Expect Kristaps Porzingis to continue shooting three-pointers

Young Knicks forward Kristaps Porzingis averaged 14.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game as a rookie last season. Despite his height and position, he took a lot of three-pointers, hitting 81-of-243 (33.3%). Normally you don’t want a forward who is taller than most of the league’s centers to shoot many outside shots at all, let alone lots of three-pointers. Unless, of course, he can make them. On that note, here’s the New York Daily News reporting:

Expect even more three-pointers from Kristaps Porzingis this season

Given the green light by Phil Jackson, Kristaps Porzingis is heading into the season unafraid of releasing a pull-up 3-pointer.

The 7-3 Latvian demonstrated the shot in transition during a training-camp scrimmage Thursday, finding open looks as the trailer early in the shot clock. The Knicks hope to get these type of looks more often this season with quicker guards and a faster-paced offense.

“I think that’s a high percentage shot for me. Last year Phil Jackson, he told me that he likes that shot,” said Porzingis, who was left with a bloody nose during the scrimmage after being clocked under the basket. “I wasn’t so sure about it at first. It was early in the offense. I didn’t know if it was the best shot. But once we saw the percentages he said it’s a pretty good look if I get that. The bigs a lot of times, they’re giving me that space, then just take that shot. Once he said that I have his confidence in me and it was just let it go. I’ll probably do the same thing this year.”

Tomas Satoransky impressing in Wizards camp

NBA training camps have opened, and preseason starts Saturday. Basketball is coming. At Wizards training camp, there’s a new name worth paying some attention to. Here’s CSN Washington:

The surprise for the Wizards isn’t that John Wall could be back sooner than later. Or that Kelly Oubre stands a chance at winning the starting job at small forward. It’s rookie Tomas Satoransky, who not only has freakish athleticism but a basketball IQ that caught all of his teammates off-guard.

“For me it was Tomas,” said Otto Porter when asked who has wowed him the most. “I’d seen a couple highlights of him playing but actually getting out here playing with him to actually be on his team? One time I was cutting through, he hit me on the back of the shoulder (with the ball). I wasn’t looking for it. I was like, ‘OK, this kid knows how to play.’”

But what has really set apart the European, a 2012 second-round pick for the Wizards who signed a three-year deal for just $9 million this summer, is his flair for the drama. In a pick-up game before training camp started this week, he got the ball in the open court and did something that brought a hush over the practice court.

Cameron Payne suffers broken bone in foot

Thunder guard Cameron Payne suffered an acute fracture to his fifth metatarsal (long bone in foot) in Tuesday night’s Blue-White Scrimmage, which took place in front of fans at a high school.

According to News9 OKC, “it’s the same bone he had surgery on in late July.”

The 14th overall selection in the 2015 NBA Draft averaged 5.0 points, 1.9 assists and 1.5 rebounds in 57 games during his rookie season.

Payne will see his attending physician and additional specialists this week to determine the next course of action.

Khris Middleton out six months after hamstring surgery

Bucks guard Khris Middleton underwent successful surgery yesterday to repair his ruptured left hamstring. The surgery was performed at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York by Dr. David Altchek.

Middleton is expected to be sidelined for approximately six months. A timeline for his return to basketball activity will be established at a later date.

Middleton suffered the injury during preseason workouts on Sept. 20.

Middleton, 25, averaged a career-high 18.2 points, 4.2 assists and 1.7 steals last season along with 3.8 rebounds in 79 games. Originally selected by Detroit (39th overall) in the 2012 NBA Draft, Middleton has career averages of 13.2 points, 2.7 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 267 career games (201 starts).

Spurs waive Ryan Richards

The Spurs have waived forward/center Ryan Richards.

The Spurs training camp roster now stands at 19.

The vast majority of the league’s training camps opened on Tuesday. In the next few weeks, the vast majority of players around the NBA who were signed to non-guaranteed contracts will be let go.

Warriors bench very different this season

The Warriors are the hottest topic in basketball entering the new season. Superstar Kevin Durant in the mix. But the GSW bench was a key part of their success in the past, and while Andre Iguodala is still there, the rest of the cast of characters is pretty different. How do this year’s reserves compare? Here’s the San Francisco Chronicle reporting:

To sign Kevin Durant, the Warriors were forced to move forward without key reserves Speights, Leandro Barbosa, Festus Ezeli and Brandon Rush. The new-look second unit, however, is impressing early.

David West has flashed his fundamentals and savvy posting up younger big men. Rookie Patrick McCaw is building off a strong performance at the Las Vegas Summer League. Ian Clark, in his second training camp with the team, has been more self-assured handling the basketball. A training-camp invitee on a nonguaranteed contract, JaVale McGee is cementing his status as Golden State’s best rim protector.

“I think a couple people have either said or written that our bench is going to be … weaker than last year,” head coach Steve Kerr said. “I think we’ve got every reason to believe we can play the same way, strength in numbers.”

Free ticketed open Clippers practice at UC Irvine October 1

The Clippers will provide fans a free preview of the 2016-17 team on Saturday, Oct. 1 during an open to the public practice on the campus of UC Irvine at the Bren Events Center.

Doors open to fans at 11:45 a.m. The event should end around 1:15 p.m.

In addition to the team practice, the Clippers Spirit dance team will perform, and the team’s mascot, Chuck the Condor, will do stuff that mascots do.

The Open Practice is a ticketed event. Admission is free and open to the public on a first come, first served basis. Visit www.clippers.com/openpractice for more information.

Golden State Warriors promote Kent Lacob to GM of Santa Cruz Warriors

The Warriors today promoted Kent Lacob to general manager of the Santa Cruz Warriors of the NBA Development League, the team announced today. Ryan Atkinson, who joined the Santa Cruz Warriors in 2013, has earned a promotion to assistant general manager.

Lacob is entering his second season with the Warriors organization after serving as Golden State’s coordinator of basketball operations last season. In that role, he assisted with scouting efforts, preparation for the NBA Draft, analytics projects and the team’s efforts with implementing wearable technology. The Woodside, CA, native attended Washington University in St. Louis, where he played guard for the men’s basketball team and was named captain of the club as a senior in 2014-15. He graduated with a degree in Philosophy-Neuroscience-Psychology and a minor in Commercial Entrepreneurship.

Atkinson joined the Santa Cruz Warriors as director of basketball operations prior to the 2013-14 campaign, where he managed team travel and served as a liaison between the coaching staff and the front office. The Atlanta, GA, native, who earned a master’s degree in Sport Management from the University of San Francisco and a bachelor’s in Sport Management from Missouri Western State University, also worked as a clubhouse attendant with the Oakland Athletics from 2009 to 2016.

Chandler Parsons not healthy yet for Grizzlies

Here’s the Memphis Commercial Appeal with an update on the Grizzlies’ key new small forward:

The bad news centered on the Grizzlies’ fancy new free agent. General manager Chris Wallace said Parsons is “progressing” but declined to say when he is expected to be able to play.

As for Parsons himself, he said “I’ve had no pain, I’ve had no swelling, I’ve had no setbacks.” But Parsons still isn’t doing any real basketball activity, and didn’t reveal when he might begin.

“Obviously, it’s a big-picture thing,” said Parsons. “The doctors don’t want to rush it back.”

Which is understandable and appropriate, of course. Best to have Parsons healthy over the long haul. But if all this starts to remind you of another injured free agent the Grizzlies signed from Dallas — Vince Carter — you are not alone. Carter wasn’t fully healthy until a year after the Grizzlies acquired him. Let’s hope Parsons is ready sooner than that.

Jahlil Okafor back after knee surgery

Here’s an update from the Philadelphia Inquirer on Sixers center Jahlil Okafor, one of the team’s key young building blocks who is currently limited at practice as he works his way back but is considered generally healthy:

Okafor is getting back in the groove after having season-ending surgery on March 22 to repair the meniscus in his right knee. The injury cost the NBA all-rookie selection the final 23 games of the season. A CAT scan on March 8 revealed the tear.

The 20-year-old, who played in 53 games, was the team’s leading scorer at 17.5 points per game last season. He became the first Sixers rookie since Allen Iverson in the 1996-97 season to lead the team in scoring over a minimum of 50 games. He also averaged 7.0 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.2 blocks and shot 50.8 percent from the field.