Category: NBA News Blog

NBA news blog

Heat guard Tyler Herro undergoes hand surgery

Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro underwent open reduction and internal fixation surgery of the third and fourth metacarpal of his right hand.

The 90-minute procedure was performed by Dr. Ann Ouelette and observed by HEAT team physician Dr. Harlan Selesnick at Doctors Hospital Ambulatory Surgery Center. He is expected to miss a minimum of six weeks.

Herro, who suffered the injury during Miami’s Game 1 win in Milwaukee on April 16, appeared in 67 regular season games (all starts) averaging 20.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 34.9 minutes. He shot a league-best and HEAT single-season franchise record 93.4 percent from the foul line. Additionally, he paired with Jimmy Butler (22.9) and Bam Adebayo (20.4) to become the first trio in team history to each average at least 20 points in a season.

Celtics guard Malcolm Brogdon wins 2022-23 NBA Sixth Man of the Year award

Boston Celtics guard Malcolm Brogdon has been named the 2022-23 NBA Sixth Man of the Year, the NBA announced today.

Brogdon becomes the third Celtic to win the league’s annual honor, joining Kevin McHale (1984, 1985) and Bill Walton (1986).

“From day one, Malcolm has eagerly embraced his role as a game changer off the bench,” said Brad Stevens, Boston Celtics President of Basketball Operations. “His emphasis on winning has been reflected daily in his work, his play, and his selflessness. Malcolm winning the award named after John Havlicek, an all-time Celtic, could not be more appropriate.”

In the 41 years since the award’s creation in 1982, only eight other players have won the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award in their first season with their team.

Brogdon was the only player in the NBA ranking in the top three in scoring, rebounding, and assists among players who didn’t start in a regular-season game as he finished with 14.9 points (1st), 4.2 rebounds (3rd), and 3.7 assists (2nd).

Brogdon finished the year ranked fourth in the NBA in three-point percentage with a career single-season high 44.4 percent from beyond the arc. He tied Ray Allen (2010-11) for the third-best single-season three-point percentage by a Celtic since 1979 behind Allen’s 2011-12 season (45.3%) and Al Horford this season (44.6%).

As an NBA reserve, Brogdon ranked first in minutes played (1743.8), second in made field goals (354), third in total points (1,000) and clutch points (42), and fourth in assists (248). Brogdon became the fourth player in Celtics history to score at least 1,000 points in a season off the bench, behind Ricky Davis in 2004-05 (1,121 points) and Kevin McHale twice, in 1989-90 (1,109) and 1990-91 (1,031).

The Georgia native earns his third NBA honor including winning the 2016-17 NBA Rookie of the Year award and the 2019-20 J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award.

The Sixth Man of the Year trophy honors Celtics Hall of Famer John Havlicek, who excelled off the bench like no player before him. Havlicek came off the bench for the first seven seasons of his career and was an All-Star in four of those seasons. His career highlights include eight NBA championships, 13 NBA All-Star selections, 11 All-NBA Team selections, an NBA Finals MVP, eight NBA All-Defensive Team selections, and inclusion on the league’s 35th, 50th, and 75th Anniversary Teams.

Warriors need more from Jordan Poole

Via the San Jose Mercury News:

Jordan Poole posing more of a downhill threat and getting to the free-throw line could be the difference-maker the Warriors need to counter the upstart Sacramento Kings.

Poole can be most impactful when he’s aggressive attacking the rim and making smart plays with the ball. He led the team with 550 points in the paint this season. He also got to the free throw line a team-high 415 times. But concern over his bum left ankle might hinder him from being able to do that.

Poole started this first-round series strong. He was smart and effective on offense and disrupted some on defense.

Poole scored 13 points on 4 of 7 shooting and got to the free-throw line four times in the first half of Game 1 on Saturday.

But he sprained his ankle late third quarter and hasn’t been the same since.

Wizards fire President and GM Tommy Sheppard

Statement from Ted Leonsis, Founder, Principal Partner, Chairman & CEO, Monumental Sports & Entertainment:

Tommy Sheppard was relieved from his duties as General Manager and President of the Washington Wizards. Failure to make the playoffs the last two seasons was very disappointing to our organization and our fans.

A search for new leadership will begin immediately for an executive from outside the organization.

I would like to thank Tommy for his dedication to the Wizards organization and wish him the best in his future endeavors.

Per the Washington Post, “Sheppard’s downfall was Washington’s inability to progress during his tenure despite multiple roster revamps and a new coach. The team finished 35-47 for the second consecutive season and missed the postseason for the fourth time in five years. Overall, the team went 129-179 under his leadership, a winning percentage of just .419. Sheppard took over the team from longtime general manager Ernie Grunfeld in an official capacity in July 2019 and led the Wizards during a time of great change both within the organization and for the NBA broadly.”

Kings coach Mike Brown wins 2022-23 NBA Coach of the Year award

The NBA announced yesterday that Sacramento Kings Head Coach Mike Brown has been named the unanimous 2022-23 NBA Coach of the Year. Brown is the third head coach in franchise history to win the yearly award, joining Cotton Fitzsimmons (1978-79) and Phil Johnson (1974-75) and is the first to receive the honor in the Sacramento era.

Brown received (500) points (100 first-place votes) from a global panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters. The honor marks the second time Brown has been named Coach of the Year during his coaching career, including his first since the 2008-09 season with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Since the award’s inception in 1962-63, Brown is the 11th coach in NBA history to receive the Coach of the Year award at least twice in his coaching career.

In his first season as head coach of the Sacramento Kings, Brown led the club to one of the best seasons in franchise history. Brown guided Sacramento to the seventh-best record in the NBA this season and helped the Kings secure the third seed in the Western Conference, marking the Kings best finish in the West since the 2002-03 season. Behind Brown, Sacramento finished with the third-most wins in the Western Conference (48-34) and matched a franchise record for most wins on the road (25-16), which also ranked first in the Western Conference. He is the second coach in the Sac era to finish above .500 in a single season, joining Rick Adelman.

Brown coached the Kings to the highest offensive rating in NBA history (118.6) with the team scoring the most points per game by an NBA team in 40 years, which was last done by the Denver Nuggets (1983-84). For his efforts, Brown was selected as the Michael Goldberg NBCA Coach of the Year after the Kings earned its first Pacific Division title since 2003.

Among league leaders, the Kings led the NBA in offensive efficiency and points per game while finishing second in field goal percentage (49.4%), third in assists (27.3), fifth in three-pointers made (1,128) and ninth in three-point percentage (37.3%). Sacramento also ranked first in true shooting percentage (60.8%), second in effective field goal percentage (57.2), second in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.02), eighth in net rating (2.6) and seventh in assists percentage (62.6%).

In February, Brown was named the NBA Western Conference Coach of the month as the Kings led the NBA with seven games where they scored 120+ points, which included a 176-175 win in double overtime against the LA Clippers on Feb. 24, marking the second-highest scoring game in NBA history. During the stretch, the Kings ranked first in the NBA in points per game (125.8) and offensive rating (121.2) and went a perfect 7-0 in February in games where they scored 120 points or more.

Warriors forward Draymond Green suspended for Game 3 vs. Kings

Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green has been suspended one game without pay for stepping on the chest of Sacramento Kings center Domantas Sabonis, it was announced yesterday by Joe Dumars, Executive Vice President, Head of Basketball Operations. The suspension was based in part on Green’s history of unsportsmanlike acts.

Green’s actions were in response to Sabonis grabbing and holding Green’s right ankle after falling to the floor. Green received a Flagrant Foul 2 and was ejected, and Sabonis was assessed a technical foul.

The incident occurred with 7:03 remaining in the fourth quarter of the Warriors’ 114-106 loss to the Kings in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series on April 17 at Golden 1 Center.

Green will serve his suspension April 20 when the Warriors host the Kings for Game 3 of the series at Chase Center.

Orlando Magic hire Arnie Kander as vice president of player performance and wellness

The Orlando Magic have named Arnie Kander as vice president of player performance and wellness, President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman announced today.

Kander, who brings more than 24 seasons of NBA experience, will be responsible for overseeing the Magic’s high performance staff, including the management of athletic training services, injury reduction and rehabilitation programming, strength and conditioning, sports science and recovery, and player nutrition.

“We are thrilled to welcome Arnie (Kander) to the Magic family,” said Weltman. “Over his career, Arnie has helped define the space of player performance. His experience and expertise will be invaluable as we train and care for our players. We look forward to him leading our performance team.”

An innovator in the fields of injury prevention, sports rehabilitation and physical conditioning, Kander is renowned in the professional sports world for his unique methods of application. He has designed recovery and workout programs that have proven to be successful.

Kander spent 23 seasons with the Detroit Pistons, originally joining the team during the spring of 1992, when he became the team’s first strength and conditioning coach. His duties in Detroit included the prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of injuries, as well as the design and implementation of specific programs that are aimed at enhancing individual players’ flexibility, strength and aerobic conditioning.

Kander also spent the 2015-16 season with the Minnesota Timberwolves as vice president of sports performance. Following his stint with Minnesota, Kander consulted with the Pistons and the Cleveland Cavaliers, while also working individually with a host of NBA players.

Ties broken for order of selection in 2023 NBA Draft

Six ties among teams with identical regular-season records were broken today through random drawings to determine the order of selection for NBA Draft 2023.

The drawings were conducted by NBA Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars at the NBA office in Secaucus, New Jersey. The tiebreaker process was overseen by Marie Dhimmar, a partner from the accounting firm of Ernst & Young.

The results of the drawings:

The Houston Rockets (22-60) won a tiebreaker with the San Antonio Spurs.
The Indiana Pacers (35-47) won a tiebreaker with the Washington Wizards.
The Chicago Bulls (40-42) won a tiebreaker with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Miami Heat (44-38) won a tiebreaker with the Golden State Warriors and the LA Clippers. Second and third place in the tiebreaker drawings went to Golden State and the LA Clippers, respectively.
The Phoenix Suns (45-37) won a tiebreaker with the Brooklyn Nets.
The Memphis Grizzlies (51-31) won a tiebreaker with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Grizzlies forward/center Jaren Jackson Jr. wins 2022-23 NBA Defensive Player of the Year award

Memphis Grizzlies forward/center Jaren Jackson Jr. was named the 2022-23 NBA Defensive Player of the Year, the NBA announced today.

This marks the first NBA Defensive Player of the Year award for Jackson Jr., who becomes the second player in franchise history to receive the honor (Marc Gasol in 2012-13). Jackson Jr. is the second-youngest player in NBA history (Dwight Howard) to be named NBA Defensive Player of the Year and becomes one of four 23-year-olds to win the award (Kawhi Leonard in 2014-15; Howard in 2007-08; Alvin Robertson in 1985-86).

The 6-foot-11 Jackson Jr., whose defense helped propel the Grizzlies to a 51-31 record (second in the Western Conference) and the team’s second straight Southwest Division championship, received 391 points (56 first-place votes) from a global panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters. Players were awarded five points for each first-place vote, three points for each second-place vote and one point for each third-place vote.

Jackson Jr. led the NBA in blocks per game (3.0) and block percentage (9.6) for the second consecutive season and tied for second in total blocks (189). He surpassed his own single-season franchise records in all three categories while also establishing career bests with 18.6 points per game and 6.8 rebounds per game.

Behind Jackson Jr., Memphis led the Western Conference and ranked third in the NBA in defensive rating (110.7) and held opponents to the lowest field goal percentage (45.3%) and largest field goal percentage difference (-2.2%). Individually, when serving as the primary defender, Jackson Jr. led the NBA in field goal percentage allowed at the rim (46.9% on 454 contests) with a minimum of 20 shots defended.

Jackson Jr. also averaged 1.0 steals per game and led the NBA in combined steals and blocks per game (career-high and franchise-record 4.0). He became one of four players since the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award was instituted in the 1982-83 season to lead his team to a Top 5 defensive rating while also averaging at least 1.0 steals and 3.0 blocks, joining Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson and Ben Wallace.

The five-year NBA veteran was named to the 2021-22 NBA All-Defensive First Team last season. He was selected by Memphis with the fourth overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft following his freshman year at Michigan State University, where he won the 2017-18 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year award.

Milwaukee’s Brook Lopez (309 points, 31 first-place votes) and Cleveland’s Evan Mobley (101 points, eight first-place votes) finished second and third in the voting, respectively.

Magic forward Paolo Banchero had an outstanding rookie season

Via the Orlando Sentinel:

As the No. 1 pick in last year’s draft, Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero faced a plethora of expectations — internally and externally.

He met his own exceptions as a rookie while exceeding others.

“I wouldn’t say I exceeded them but I definitely met them,” Banchero said. “I did everything I wanted to do in my first year. It’s definitely time to take it to another level this next year. That’s what I’m excited about.”

While shifting his focus to his offseason work, Banchero also took time to reflect on the season that led to him being the betting favorite for Rookie of the Year.

With averages of 20 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.7 assists, he became the 12th rookie in the league’s history to average at least 20 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists for a season.