Category: NBA Teams

NBA teams blog

Mavericks flex-assign Josh Green to G League’s Salt Lake City Stars

The Dallas Mavericks have flex-assigned rookie Josh Green to the G League’s Salt Lake City Stars, a squad that currently features fellow Mavericks rookie Tyler Bey.

Green (6-6, 210) has appeared in 17 games (five starts) for Dallas this season, averaging 2.5 points (.472 FG%) and 2.3 rebounds in 12.5 minutes per game.

The former Arizona guard/forward was selected after his freshman season by Dallas with the 18th overall pick in this past year’s draft.

Following the move, all four Maverick rookies – Tyrell Terry (Memphis), Nate Hinton (Santa Cruz), Bey (Salt Lake) and Green (Salt Lake) – will now be on assignment with a G League club in Orlando, Florida.

The 2020-21 NBA G League season tipped off on Wednesday, Feb. 10, with 18 teams competing at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort.

The Mavericks’ G League affiliate, the Texas Legends, opted not to travel to the NBA G League’s campus. NBA teams without an NBA G League affiliate participating in Orlando have the opportunity to assign roster players and transfer two-way players using the league’s flexible assignment and two-way rules.

Nets sign guard/forward Andre Roberson

The Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday signed free agent guard/forward Andre Roberson.

Limited by injury in recent seasons, Roberson recognized as a very good defensive player with limited offensive ability.

Roberson (6’7”, 210) spent the first seven seasons (2013-20) of his NBA career with the Oklahoma City Thunder, appearing in 302 games (269 starts) and averaging 4.6 points and 4.0 rebounds in 22.3 minutes per game. Returning from a left knee injury, the San Antonio native saw action in seven games in the 2019-20 season, recording averages of 2.9 points and 3.9 rebounds in 12.4 minutes per contest.

An NBA All-Defensive Second Team selection in 2017, the 29-year-old Roberson has also made four playoff appearances with the Thunder, including a trip to the Western Conference Finals in 2016.

Roberson was originally selected with the 26th overall pick in the first round of the 2013 NBA Draft by Minnesota before being traded to Oklahoma City on draft night. Prior to beginning his NBA career, Roberson spent three years (2010-13) at the University of Colorado, earning All-Pac-12 First Team honors twice (2012 and 2013) and garnering the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year award in 2013.

Pelicans running offense more through Zion Williamson

“Over the past two weeks, the Pelicans have increasingly let Zion Williamson take the reins to their offense. He is dribbling the ball up the floor and getting them into their sets. To say he inspires fear when he attacks from the middle of the floor is like saying Michael Jordan was a decent dunker…

Over the past month, the Pelicans are a hair away from ranking first in the NBA in offensive efficiency. On the season, they have vaulted all the way to seventh in points scored per 100 possessions. Putting the ball in Williamson’s hands and giving him the freedom to create has made them more dynamic than almost anyone imagined they could be.

“I was always trained to be a point guard,” Williamson said. “A point guard can’t get rattled. You always have to make the best play and find the best option. It just goes back to that.”

– Via the New Orleans Times-Picayune

Pelicans Analysis: It’s no surprise that if you give Zion Williamson the ball more, good things will happen. He’s a matchup nightmare for most of the league’s defenders. He’s also super fun to watch, which makes this an even better move.

Unfortunately for the Pelicans, they still have a lot of work to do in the standings department. At just 12-15, they’re tied with the Kings for the West’s 11th best record. They’ve won a most five of their last 10 games. So there’s still plenty of work to be done.

Timberwolves guard D’Angelo Russell injured, out 4-6 weeks

The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced the following injury updates on guards D’Angelo Russell and Jarrett Culver:

Russell, who has missed the last three games due to left leg soreness, will undergo arthroscopic surgery tomorrow to remove a loose body from the left knee. Russell will remain out between 4-6 weeks and further updates to his progress will be issued when available.

In 20 games (19 starts) this season, Russell is averaging 19.3 points on 42.6% shooting and 5.1 assists.

In the third quarter of the Monday, Jan. 25 game at Golden State, Culver sustained a left ankle sprain. As part of his ongoing rehab and reconditioning, Culver has been upgraded to on-court activity this week. He is expected to be reevaluated next week with potential to return to play late next week. Updates on his progress will be issued when available.

In 16 games (7 starts) this season, Culver is averaging 8.1 points on 45.9% shooting and 5.0 rebounds.

Kings’ Chimezie Metu injured, out at least four weeks

Sacramento Kings forward-center Chimezie Metu underwent X-ray imaging in Sacramento on Monday which confirmed a right wrist fracture sustained during Sunday’s game versus the Memphis Grizzlies. Metu will be re-evaluated in four weeks and further updates will be provided as appropriate.

During the 2020-21 season, Metu is averaging 3.4 points (.500 FG%, .667 FT%), 2.1 rebounds, 0.5 blocks, 0.5 assists, 0.3 steals, and 6.5 minutes per game through 11 games (no starts) for the Kings.

Next three Spurs games, two Hornets games postponed

The San Antonio Spurs’ next three games (Wednesday, Feb. 17 at Cleveland; Saturday, Feb. 20 at New York and Monday, Feb. 22 at Indiana) and the Charlotte Hornets’ next two games (Wednesday, Feb. 17 vs. Chicago and Friday, Feb. 19 vs. Denver) have been postponed in accordance with the NBA’s Health and Safety Protocols.

The games are being postponed due to four Spurs players testing positive and additional contact tracing for players on both San Antonio’s and Charlotte’s rosters, and in order to ensure the health and safety of players on both teams.

Saddiq Bey, Devin Booker named NBA Players of Week

The NBA announced today that Detroit Pistons forward Saddiq Bey has been named Eastern Conference Player of the Week and Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booked named Western Conference Player of the Week for games played between February 8-14, 2021.

Bey is the second Pistons rookie to ever win the award, joining Kelly Tripucka (March 14, 1982) as the only first-year Pistons to earn NBA Player of the Week honors.

Bey helped lead the Pistons to a 3-1 week by averaging 17.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.8 steals in 26.1 minutes per contest. Bey shot .714 (25-of-35) from the field and .696 (16-of-23) from 3-point range during the four-game stretch while scoring in double figures in each contest. He became the only rookie in team history with at least four 3-pointers made in back-to-back games (Feb. 12-14).

Bey set a Pistons rookie record with seven 3-pointers made and recorded career highs of 30 points (10-12 FG, 7-7 3FG) and 12 rebounds in a win at Boston on Feb. 12. Bey became the only rookie in NBA history to make seven triples in a game without a miss from 3-point range and became the fourth rookie in NBA history with at least 30 points and seven 3-pointers made in a double-double (Jason Kidd, Stephen Curry, Lauri Markkanen). He also became the fourth Pistons rookie to score at least 30 points in game over the last 35 seasons (Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Grant Hill, Allan Houston).

The Villanova standout holds the Pistons rookie record for most 3-pointers made (49) through 25 career games and is shooting .422 from distance on the year, currently setting the highest 3-point percentage for any Pistons rookie among qualified players in team history.

Phoenix’s Devin Booker was named the Western Conference Player of the Week. Per NBA.com/suns, “Booker averaged 32.3 points on 56.3% shooting from the field and 47.6% from three-point range, plus 5.3 assists and 5.0 rebounds in four games, helping the Suns extend their winning streak to six straight overall including wins over the Eastern Conference’s top two teams in Philadelphia and Milwaukee. Booker scored at least 27 points on over 50% from the field in all four games during the week, twice scoring his season high of 36 points.”

More from NBA.com/suns: “This marks Booker’s first career NBA Player of the Week honor and he is the first Suns player to be named Player of the Week since Goran Dragić on Feb. 3, 2014.”