Category: NBA Teams

NBA teams blog

76ers sign Saben Lee, waive Michael Foster Jr.

The Philadelphia 76ers have signed Saben Lee to a two-way contract.

In a related move, the team has waived Michael Foster Jr.

Lee joins Philadelphia after appearing in seven games this season with the Toronto Raptors’ G League affiliate, Raptors 905, where he averaged 21.7 points and 6.0 assists while shooting .563 from the floor. He’s one of six G League players averaging 20-plus points, while shooting at least 55-percent from the field.

Prior to Raptors 905, Lee spent two seasons with Detroit, appearing in 85 NBA games (seven starts) with averages of 5.6 points, 2.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists. In 19 regular-season G League games with the Motor City Cruise last season, he posted 24.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 7.2 assists and 2.3 steals per game.

Originally selected by Utah with the No. 38 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, Lee played collegiately at Vanderbilt where was named to the All-SEC Second Team as a junior.

Lee will wear No. 9 with the 76ers.

On the development of Rockets rookie Jabari Smith

Via the Houston Chronicle:

The slow burn that is Jabari Smith’s rookie season with the Houston Rockets flashed some serious sparks on Sunday night.

Houston’s forward and the No. 3 pick in the 2022 NBA draft tallied 22 points and seven assists in a narrow loss to the defending champions, registering a career-high scoring night as he made things difficult for the Golden State Warriors on both ends of the floor. Smith’s first professional campaign has been uneven thus far. Sunday night was the clearest example of his All-NBA potential.

“[Those are] some of the greatest players to ever do it out there,” Smith said following Houston’s 127-120 loss. “Definitely a confidence booster going out there and knowing I can compete with some of the greatest.”

The season-best effort from Smith continued his progression on the offensive end of the floor after a slow start. Smith entered Tuesday night averaging just 10.9 points per game, fourth among all rookies. He’s shooting a paltry 33.3 percent from the floor and 30.2 percent from three, a stark contrast to his 42 percent mark from three during one season at Auburn. Smith is still getting plenty of respect from defenses as a floor spacer. But through his first 15 games, Smith struggled to convert many of his open looks.

FULL ARTICLE

Ja Morant may return sooner than expected for Grizzlies

Via the Memphis Commercial Appeal:

Ja Morant may be healing at a faster rate than anticipated.

The Memphis Grizzlies updated Morant to questionable ahead of Tuesday’s game against the Sacramento Kings. Morant was initially listed as doubtful on Monday.

He’ll undergo testing ahead of the game to determine if he will be able to play.

Morant injured his left ankle on Friday against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The team announced that he suffered a grade 1 ankle sprain and would be evaluated week-to-week.

FULL ARTICLE

Weekly Houston Rockets notes: Nov. 21, 2022

ROCKETS TEAM NOTES

KJ Martin joins Toronto’s OG Anunoby and Utah’s Lauri Markkanen as the only players to have recorded at least 18 3-pointers and 30 dunks this season… Martin ranks tied for fifth in the NBA with 32 dunks this season after finishing 15th with 114 in 2021-22.

Tari Eason is averaging 8.7 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.47 steals in 18.4 minutes per game… he is on pace to become the first player in NBA history to have averaged at least 8.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg and 1.00 spg in fewer than 19.0 mpg in a single season… Eason is tied for the most games recording multiple steals by a rookie this season with six.

Houston has shot 45.0% or better from the floor in six of the past eight games after doing so once the first nine games of the season… since the start of last season, all but three of the Rockets wins have come when shooting 45.0% or better.

The Rockets have outrebounded their opponent in seven of the past 11 games after doing so once the first six games of the season… Houston ranks fifth in rebounding differential this season (+2.7 per) after finishing last in in each of the previous two seasons.

Wizards sign Devon Dotson, and waive Jordan Schakel

The Washington Wizards have signed guard Devon Dotson to a two-way contract.

And in a related move, Washington waived forward Jordan Schakel, who appeared in six games with the team after being signed to a two-way contract in March 2022.

Dotson, a 6-1, 185-pound guard from Kansas, has played in seven games this season with the Capital City Go-Go, averaging 12.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game. On November 15, Dotson recorded the third triple-double in Capital City history, scoring 17 points with 10 rebounds and 10 assists.

Dotson spent 2022 Summer League, preseason and training camp with Washington after spending his first two seasons in the league with Chicago. The Charlotte, N.C. native appeared in 22 total games, averaging 2.4 points per game with the Bulls.

Trail Blazers sign Ibou Badji to two-way contract, waive Olivier Sarr

The Portland Trail Blazers have signed center Ibou Badji to a two-way contract.

Also today, the team waived center Olivier Sarr.

Badji, 7-1, averaged 7.4 points (61.8% FG, 66.7% FT), 6.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 2.6 blocks in seven games (all starts) this season with the Wisconsin Herd, the NBA G League affiliate of the Milwaukee Bucks. A native of Senegal, he also played for the country in the 2019 FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup and averaged 6.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.1 blocks in seven games.

Sarr was signed to a two-way contract on September 7, 2022 and appeared in four preseason games for the Trail Blazers, averaging 4.0 points and 2.8 rebounds in 11.0 minutes.

Timberwolves sign A.J. Lawson to a two-way contract

The Minnesota Timberwolves have signed guard A.J. Lawson to a two-way contract.

In four games (all starts) this season for the College Park Skyhawks, the Atlanta Hawks G League affiliate, Lawson, 22, averaged a team-best 22.3 points on 62.3% shooting, including 52.9% from three, 6.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 36.9 minutes per game.

Lawson played on the Dallas Mavericks entry in the 2022 NBA Summer League where he averaged a team-high 15.6 points on 51.9% from the field including 50.0% from three and 6.0 rebounds per game. Additionally, the 6-6 guard played 10 games (all starts) this past summer for the Guelph Nighthawks of the Canadian Basketball League (CBL) and averaged 16.5 points on 44.3% shooting and 5.4 rebounds in 30.5 minutes per game.

The Toronto native saw action in 33 games (26 starts) for the Skyhawks last season where he averaged 11.8 points on 48.1% shooting and 6.3 rebounds. Lawson played three seasons at the University of South Carolina where he totaled 1,153 points, 325 rebounds and 167 assists in 81 games (80 starts).

Lawson was originally signed to a two-way deal with the Wolves on July 27, 2022 before being waived on Oct. 15, 2022.

He will wear #00 for the Timberwolves.

Pelicans assign Kira Lewis Jr. to the G League

New Orleans Pelicans guard Kira Lewis Jr. has been assigned to the Birmingham Squadron, the team’s NBA G League affiliate.

Lewis Jr., who was drafted by New Orleans with the 13th overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, has appeared in 78 games over two seasons and holds careers averages of 6.2 points, 1.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game.

The University of Alabama product sustained a torn ACL and Grade 2 MCL sprain in his right knee during a game against the Denver Nuggets on December 8, 2021.