Category: NBA Teams

NBA teams blog

A look at NBA draft prospect Anthony Edwards

Here’s the San Jose Mercury News with a look at top NBA draft prospect Anthony Edwards. The Warriors have the No. 2 pick in the upcoming draft, so of course they’ll have familiarized themselves with Edwards:

Before Anthony Edwards began his lone season at Georgia, head coach Tom Crean sat down with the freshman and told the 18-year-old that he would be entrusting him with the offense, but that he had to become more consistent and efficient.

A year later, Edwards leaves Georgia as one of the nation’s highest scoring freshmen and among the most productive in program history — but he was dogged by inconsistency. Despite those struggles, Edwards, now 19, is considered a potential No. 1 overall pick because of his 6-foot-5, 225 pound frame, unique skill set and ability to put up eye-popping numbers.

Scouts and draft analysts can point to Edwards’ production (19.1 points per game) as evidence that he can develop into a go-to scorer at the NBA level, but his efficiency numbers (40.2% overall and 29.4% on 7.7 3-pointers per game) raise questions about whether or not he can be impactful in a lesser role as a rookie.

Some top prospects in the 2020 draft include Edwards, LaMelo Ball and James Wiseman. There are obviously other names worth mentioning but we’ll get into that in other posts.

The Warriors are in a great position, having a top lottery selection available to them despite having an already super-competitive roster that had major health issues last season but should be fine and of playoff caliber going forward.

Raptors coach Nick Nurse says team needs more energy

The Raptors weren’t competitive yesterday in their Game 5 loss to the Celtics. Here’s the Toronto Star reporting what head coach Nick Nurse had to say:

“I think a lot of this game, in general, has to do with … energy and rhythm,” coach Nick Nurse said Tuesday. “It’s kind of hard to explain how we don’t have a little bit more energy (in Monday’s 111-89 loss), and it’s even probably harder to explain how we don’t have it in Game 1 of the series.

“The energy has got to be there. I think when we do bring the energy, we’re right there, we’re supercompetitive for sure, and look great.”

Strategically, it’s easy to pinpoint what the Raptors need. They could use more offence from Marc Gasol — “It’s not like we need 25 from him, but we need him to chip in with some, just because there’s opportunities there for him,” said Nurse — and a huge offensive game from Pascal Siakam would be a blessing.

The Raptors got off to a shockingly miserable start yesterday, falling behind 25-11 after one quarter and then getting outscored by seven points in the second quarter. Their play in the second half was solid, but no big comeback was launched, and then lost by a final score of 111-89.

The big winner in the game was Boston’s defense. Toronto shot horribly, both in two-point and three-point range.

We’ll see if the team can come out of the gates hot at the start of Game 6 tomorrow.

NBA issues flagrant foul to Anthony Davis

Upon reviewing game footage, the NBA decided an action needed to be taken. Here’s the Los Angeles Times reporting:

The NBA determined two incidents that occurred during Game 2 of the Lakers’ series against the Rockets deserved further discipline, one was committed against Anthony Davis while the other was committed by him.

Officials determined Davis deserved a flagrant 1 foul for contact he initiated with Houston’s Jeff Green with 15 seconds left in the first half. Green doubled over after Davis drove by him, with pain in his midsection or groin area. As the quarter expired, Green lay on the ground for several minutes while medical personnel observed him.

Game 3 of this fascinating series is tonight.

Patrick Beverley fined by NBA for verbal abuse of referee

LA Clippers guard Patrick Beverley has been fined $25,000 for verbal abuse of a game official, it was announced today by Kiki VanDeWeghe, Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations.

The incident, for which Beverley was assessed two technical fouls and ejected, occurred with 1:04 remaining in the fourth quarter of the Clippers’ 110-101 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Sept. 5 at AdventHealth Arena on the campus of ESPN Wide World of Sports in Orlando.

Rajon Rondo back in action for Lakers, who lose Game 1 to Rockets

The Lakers lost Game 1 to the Rockets yesterday. But at least they won in getting guard Rajon Rondo back in action.

That’s a win of sorts, right? Maybe?

Here’s the OC Register reporting:

With Rajon Rondo, the story is always refracted depending on the eye of the beholder.

Some fans saw his return – an eight-point, four-assist, four-turnover debut after a month and a half on the shelf – as a rusty disappointment. But Rondo’s Laker teammates hope it’s just a starting point for him to build on after missing every bubble game with a fractured thumb followed by back spasms.

Alex Caruso said he thought Rondo’s first in-game action since March 10, in a 112-97 loss to Houston on Friday night, was about where he should be at this point.

“I thought he looked about his normal self,” Caruso said. “Maybe he missed a layup or a shot he normally makes and maybe that’s a little timing and getting used to playing the game again. But I mean, Rondo’s a guy that’s mentally locked in whenever he steps on the court, so I thought he looked pretty good conditioning-wise.”

The Lakers have a lot of work to do. The Rockets’ Game 1 win was convincing. They’re an unusual team, playing super-smallball. Teams going against them have to make some adjustments, but not too many, or else they’d pull themselves out of their own gameplan. It’ll be fascinating to see what, if anything, the Lakers do differently in Game 2. And of course, Rondo’s role going forward.

Down 3-0 in series, Bucks star Giannis speaks on Heat

The Heat are up 3-0 on the Bucks, who had the best regular season record in the league and were favorites in the series. Here’s the South Florida Sun Sentinel reporting:

As for the state of the Bucks’ mental state, perhaps this from Giannis Antetokounmpo after Game 3 summed it up best:

“Miami is a great team. You know they are going to play hard. They play hard for 48 minutes. To be able to beat them, you have to match that. You can’t play hard for 36 minutes, you can’t play hard for 24 minutes, you have to play hard for 48 minutes to beat a team like that. We knew that coming into this series. They were playing harder than us. We’ve got to play harder and we’ve got to play better. That’s it.”

The Bucks face an incredibly uphill battle in keeping their championship hopes alive.

Pair of Heat players finish second in NBA award voting

It’s awards season in the NBA, as winners of the league’s regular season awards are announced during the playoffs. Here’s the South Florida Sun Sentinel reporting on how Miami Heat players fared in the results:

With Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant on Thursday being named NBA Rookie of the Year, the Heat’s two finalists for 2020 NBA awards have had their second-place fates settled, Kendrick Nunn for Rookie of the Year and Bam Adebayo for Most Improved Player (behind New Orleans Pelicans guard Brandon Ingram). While the Heat have had previous Most Improved winners in Rony Seikaly (1990) and Ike Austin (1997), the franchise remains without a Rookie of the Year in its 32 seasons. As a matter of perspective on Nunn’s finish, consider that Dwyane Wade placed third in the 2004 Rookie of the Year vote (behind LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony), Caron Butler third in the 2003 Rookie voting (behind Amare Stoudemire and Yao Ming), with those the top previous Heat finishes. (Michael Beasley placed seventh in 2009 as the No. 2 pick in 2008.)

P.J. Tucker plays a huge role for Rockets

P.J. Tucker is one of the most important players in the NBA playoffs who doesn’t put up big numbers in the scoring department. Here’s the Los Angeles Times on a key member of the Houston Rockets, who currently lead the Los Angeles Lakers 1-0 in their second-round playoff series:

If the Rockets have dog inside of them, Tucker is a mastiff. Friday he scored six points but scrapped for nine rebounds against the Lakers’ bigger frontcourt. With him on the court, Houston was 16 points better than the Lakers — a Rockets best in the plus-minus rating.

The 35-year-old forward played professionally in Israel, Ukraine, Greece, Italy and Germany before finding a home in the NBA. Among coaches, he’s revered for his toughness and his awareness, a player willing to take on the toughest challenge on defense while parking in the corner on offense, ready to catch and shoot if the ball makes its way to him.

After beating the Lakers, Tucker was asked about the Rockets being small and having to body up with James and Davis, and in his answer, he delivered his mission statement.

“Yeah, I’m short. But I’m strong and I can move my feet,” he said with defiance. “And I can stay in front of anybody. I’m not going to quit. I’m going to fight every play. They’re going to score. Those guys are two of the best players of our generation — they’re going to score the ball. They’re going to score a lot of times. But we’re going to try and make it tough, try and make them work hard, and try to wear them down throughout the game.”

In Game 1, Rockets looked like a complicated playoff opponent for Lakers

The Rockets looked great Friday as they took a 1-0 series lead against the Lakers in the second round of the 2020 NBA playoffs. Known for their very effective “smallball” offense, the Rockets’ defense has been outstanding in Disney NBA bubble play. Here’s the Los Angeles Times on the series:

As they prepare for Game 2 on Sunday night at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando, Fla., maybe the Lakers need to deal with the fact that they don’t have the overwhelming advantages they possessed after losing their first-round playoff opener to Portland.

The Rockets are more blazers than the Blazers. The Rockets are quicker, deeper and far more dangerous. They can make the Lakers look stagnant and stilted and confused. The Lakers have suddenly found themselves in a duel that could test their very being.

“There’s got to be a complete turnaround going into Game 2,” said James…

Maybe they’re a big team that isn’t flexible enough to overcome the Rockets’ small ball. Playoffs are all about matchups, and so far this season the Rockets have won both games against the Lakers with the disparate lineups…

“I think it’s the speed … they play with a lot of speed both offensively and defensively,” James said. “You can see it on film … but until you’re out there, you get a feel for it … that’s what we did tonight, we got a feel for their speed, and we’re fully aware of that going into Game 2.”

Montrezl Harrell wins 2019-20 NBA Sixth Man of Year award

LA Clippers forward-center Montrezl Harrell has won the 2019-20 NBA Sixth Man Award for his contributions in a reserve role, the NBA announced today. This is the first NBA Sixth Man Award for Harrell, who finished in third place last season.

Harrell received 58 first-place votes from a global panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters and earned 397 total points. Oklahoma City Thunder guard Dennis Schroder finished in second place with 328 points (35 first-place votes).

Clippers guard Lou Williams, a three-time NBA Sixth Man Award winner, received the other seven first-place votes and finished in third place with 127 points.

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. The voting was conducted based on regular-season games played through March 11. The seeding games, which were played July 30 – Aug. 14 as part of the season restart, did not count toward voting for the Kia NBA Sixth Man Award or the league’s other traditional end-of-season awards. To be eligible for the Sixth Man Award, players had to have come off the bench in more games than they started in games played through March 11.

From the beginning of the season through March 11, Harrell averaged 18.6 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.14 blocked shots in 27.8 minutes in 63 games (two starts) as part of his fifth NBA season. In games played off the bench during that time, Harrell ranked second in the NBA in scoring (18.4 ppg) and fifth in rebounding (7.0 rpg). He also shot 58.0 percent from the field in all games played through March 11, the 10th-best mark in the NBA.

In games played off the bench through March 11, Harrell recorded an NBA-high 11 double-doubles, tied for first with four games of at least 30 points and ranked second with 10 games of 25 or more points. He scored 34 points off the bench twice, matching his single-game career high as a starter or reserve.

Led by Harrell and Williams, the Clippers averaged an NBA-high 51.5 points off the bench and outscored their opponents’ reserves in 53 of 64 games through March 11. LA posted a 44-20 record during that period, the second-best mark in the Western Conference.

Harrell, 26, has spent the last three seasons with the Clippers, who acquired him in a trade with the Houston Rockets in June 2017. He played his first two seasons with the Rockets after they selected him in the second round (No. 32 overall) of NBA Draft 2015 presented by State Farm.

This marks the third consecutive season and the fifth time in seven years that a member of the Clippers has received the Kia NBA Sixth Man Award. Williams won the award in each of the previous two seasons, and Jamal Crawford did so with the Clippers in the 2013-14 and 2015-16 seasons.