Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau keeps the faith in Obi Toppin

Via the New York Post:

Obi Toppin’s promising season hit a road bump out west.

The reserve forward struggled in the final four games of the trip with his shot, going 5-for-28 from the field and 2-for-15 from 3-point range. He was particularly off against the Warriors, missing all five of his shot attempts — including two dunks.

Toppin had performed so well up to that point. He shot above 40 percent from distance before this mini-slump. But coach Tom Thibodeau believes it is only temporary.

“I trust his process,” the Knicks’ coach said. “He’s very diligent. I think he has a strategy for everything. He’s put a lot of time into his shooting. Players go through things like that, but he can help us in a lot of different ways. Just the way he moves the ball, the way he runs the floor, gets some rebounds. But I’m very confident in his ability.”

FULL ARTICLE

Lakers guard Patrick Beverley suspended three games for incident with Deandre Ayton

Los Angeles Lakers guard Patrick Beverley has been suspended three games without pay for forcefully shoving Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton from behind and knocking him to the court, it was announced today by Joe Dumars, Executive Vice President, Head of Basketball Operations. The suspension was based in part on Beverley’s history of unsportsmanlike acts.

The incident, for which Beverley was assessed a technical foul and ejected, occurred with 3:55 remaining in the fourth quarter of the Lakers’ 115-105 loss to the Suns on Nov. 22 at Footprint Center.

Beverley will begin serving his suspension Nov. 25 when the Lakers face the San Antonio Spurs at AT&T Center.

To view the incident, click on the following link: https://www.nba.com/watch/video/lakers-vs-suns-11-22-22

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.