The Vanderbilt product may yet develop into an important part of the Pacers’ rotation but was something of a letdown for Boston fans, and that may not be a result entirely of his own making
For any player trying to find his way in the NBA early in his career, opportunity in the form of consistent playing time is critical. And playing time was anything but consistent for forward Aaron Nesmith in his time with the Boston Celtics before he was dealt to the Indiana Pacers.
The one-time Vanderbilt standout may yet develop into an important part of the Pacers’ rotation, but he was something of a letdown for Boston fans. That may not be a result entirely of his own making. In any fair assessment of Nesmith’s selection by Boston at No. 14 in the 2020 NBA draft, these things should be taken into consideration.
Watch the draft regrade of Nesmith’s class put together by the folks at the Hoops Reference YouTube channel, and decide for yourself if you think the grade they give him was deserved.
Jabari Smith Jr. is scheduled to just work out for the Magic and Thunder.
Auburn forward Jabari Smith Jr. said on Thursday that he only has two scheduled workouts with NBA teams: the Orlando Magic and Oklahoma City Thunder.
Potential No. 1 pick Jabari Smith Jr. worked out with the Magic today. It is his first workout. He has one more scheduled with the Thunder. pic.twitter.com/d5OjCR3Vvb
Smith Jr. worked out with the Magic on Thursday and is expected to work out for the Thunder in the near future, per Rookie Wire’s Cody Taylor. Smith Jr. is projected by most national mocks to go first overall in the 2022 NBA draft, so the Thunder will likely not have a chance to select him.
This seems like a case of the Thunder doing their due diligence by scheduling a workout with Smith Jr. as it will be the only time both parties will be able to officially talk to each other before the draft.
The 2021 NBA Rookie of the Year jumps up to the No. 1 pick in Bleacher Report’s re-draft.
Re-draft’s are a fun way to truly analyze the strength or weakness of a draft class and see where team’s selected a future bust for a future star.
Bleacher Report recently ran through a re-draft for the 2020 NBA draft, having the 2021 NBA Rookie of the Year LaMelo Ball jump up to the No. 1 overall pick to the Minnesota Timberwolves, and rightfully so.
Ball, who was picked by the Charlotte Hornets with the No. 3 pick, swapped positions with the actual No. 1 pick, Anthony Edwards.
Jonathan Wasserman of B/R explains:
“Anthony Edwards wasn’t a bad pick for the Minnesota Timberwolves. He just wasn’t the right one. It should have been LaMelo Ball all along, and that’s more clear after the first third of the season.
Ball has flashed similar scoring potential (13.8 PPG, 43.6 percent FG) to Edwards (13.7 PPG, 37.5 percent FG), which was supposed to separate the original No. 1 pick from everyone else. Meanwhile, his elite passing has immediately translated to high-level playmaking that’s missing from Minnesota’s 29th-ranked offense.
At 19 years old, he’s among the top 10 in the NBA in assist percentage(35.0 percent).
Questions about Ball’s shooting and defense presumably caused Minnesota to pivot elsewhere in the original draft. But those concerns now seem overblown, particularly with his jump shot, as Ball is making 1.6 threes on a respectable 33.9 percent shooting, and he’s hitting 79.4 percent of his free throws.”
The West Linn native opened up about his memories of being taken by Boston 26th overall in the 2020 NBA draft.
It seems like it was just a few months ago (and it was certainly more recent than usual because of the pandemic), but it is almost time for yet another NBA draft, and Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard sat down with CBS Sports to share his memories of the 2020 NBA draft and what led up to it.
Picked No. 26 overall, the former University of Oregon standout detailed what it took for him to get to the point of catching the Celtics’ interest and his personal background as a child of two athletes from the Pacific Northwest to what the experience was like getting taken by Boston.
Watch the video embedded below to get Pritchard’s whole draft memories account for yourself, and get ready to see him kick off his sophomore campaign with the Celtics soon with a stint in the revived Las Vegas Summer League.
The Warriors passing on LaMelo Ball was already a decision coming under scrutiny even before Jalen Rose’s recent comments.
The Golden State Warriors and LaMelo Ball will forever be linked due to the 2020 NBA Draft. The franchise’s decision to pass on Ball and draft James Wiseman ultimately may not be a failure as Wiseman has shown potential this season but considering how good Ball has looked, it’s a decision that has immediately come into question.
Golden State’s decision comes under even more scrutiny with Jalen Rose’s recent revelation. On his “Jalen and Jacoby Podcast,” Rose claims the Warriors promised to take Ball with the No. 2 pick before skipping over him (h/t NBCSports Bay Area).
“And I’ll give the Golden State Warriors a nod too. I like what they’ve been doing too. And I know they could have taken LaMelo, but I know why they didn’t. And by the way, the night of the draft, the Golden State Warriors told LaMelo Ball they were going to take him next and they didn’t do it.”
On draft day, the Warriors’ plans had an abrupt change when Klay Thompson suffered a torn ACL. However, as opposed to drafting a young guard to fill the hole left by Thompson’s injury, the Warriors veered the other way toward Wiseman.
The decision has quickly come under fire this season even before this report from Rose. As more reports come out, the two teams will only become more and more heavily linked.
As LaMelo Ball continues setting records in his standout rookie season, his latest accomplishment may be his most impressive yet.
LaMelo Ball’s standout season for the Charlotte Hornets is best contextualized in looking at where he ranks in raw stats relative to his rookie class. Entering the All-Star break, Ball ranks first among rookies in total points (553), rebounds (211), assists (221) and steals (57) despite not starting a game until February 1.
When comparing Ball’s performance versus the rest of his rookie class, it becomes quickly apparent that he is on a pace not seen before in multiple decades. Per Elias Sports Bureau, Ball is the only player in the last 60 seasons to lead rookies in points, rebounds, assists and steals heading into the All-Star break.
LaMelo Ball is the only #NBA player in the last 60 seasons to lead all rookies in total points, rebounds, assists and steals at the All-Star break. #NBATwitter#AllFly
While no one individual stat can measure Ball’s impact through the first quarter of the season, one of the more generally accepted stats is ESPN’s Real Plus-Minus (RPM). A stat that measures the impact a player has both offensively and defensively, ESPN released the stat on Friday after accumulating a big enough sample size to start the season.
For Ball, it paints a picture that confirms what the eye test has shown many. Through Monday night’s games, Ball’s RPM of 0.85 is the best among rookies this season. The only player of note from the rookie class with a positive RPM is Knicks guard Immanuel Quickley at 0.31.
Breaking down Ball’s RPM is also interesting. His Offensive RPM (ORPM) is 3.09, a figure that is not just best among the rookies but 25th in the whole league. However, his struggles on the defensive end, which many projected coming into the league, has him ranked as not just the worst defender in the rookie class with a Defensive RPM (DRPM) of -2.24, but one of the worst in the league. Out of 454 players, Ball ranks 449th in DRPM.
Here’s a look at the RPM of the top 10 picks as well as some other notable picks outside the top 10 among the rookie class.
On the defensive side, a number of players have made a positive impact there with Jalen Smith, Onyeka Okongwu and Deni Avdija all having positive a DRPM. However, it should be noted that each of those players have smaller sample sizes than most due to injuries early this season.
Nonetheless, Ball’s impact has been the best among the rookies so far this season as he continues his impressive rookie campaign.
“They’re literally being placed right in the middle of the fire. That learning curve is going to be very steep.”
Cassius Stanley has known this day was coming, and he’s long dreamed of becoming a professional basketball player. He just never expected it to happen in a year unlike any other. None of his fellow rookies foresaw it playing out like this.
Stanley, selected by the Indiana Pacers in the second round of the 2020 NBA draft, was a standout high school basketball player at the powerhouse Sierra Canyon in Los Angeles before playing a one-and-done season at Duke University. His path hasn’t always been clear, but he’s reached the place he wanted to be.
It’s just that, thanks to COVID-19, nothing feels normal. At all.
Yet Stanley, 21, said he’s feeling mostly settled as his pro career begins. He was still moving into a new apartment when he recently spoke with For The Win, but credited his teammates and the NBA’s virtual rookie transition program for helping him navigate a process that is inherently chaotic during a year in which every normal rhythm has been knocked off beat.
The rookie program put him at ease as he reconnected with old friends, teammates and opponents.
Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
“Everyone is going through the same thing,” said Stanley. “It was pretty cool to scroll and see who was on and everyone was active. We were all turning on our mics and asking questions and it was really good to see some of the guys that I knew in high school and in AAU and college. Now, seeing all of us together in the same program and going through the same thing as rookies, I think that calmed a lot of nerves.”
The rookie program is important every year, but making sure its lessons carried through virtually was of vital importance as the NBA worked toward starting a new season today. Greg Taylor, the NBA’s Senior Vice President for Player Development, leads a team responsible for helping players navigate life in the NBA — and professional basketball in general — off the court. Taylor knows that maintaining an elite basketball career, even without the strange circumstances of an ongoing global pandemic, is a stressful job.
He told For The Win that his department exists to give players the tool kit to help navigate this in a healthy manner, both mentally and physically.
“Our goal is to prepare them for what to expect as they enter the league and to just let them understand that we are here both to support them and also to provide them with resources,” explained Taylor. “There is no question or experience or challenge that they will have that we haven’t had a chance to understand and see over the years.”
The rookie transition program, which has existed in an official capacity since 1986, is the main event for Taylor’s team. What previously occurred over four August days in New Jersey was abridged this year via Zoom over two days at the beginning of December.
Taylor recognized that the program missed the fraternal bonding aspects that come with the in-person setting of previous years. But he said the league was able to open invitations to a wider group of rookies and, for the first time, include several undrafted free agents that have signed two-way deals in the programming as well.
During the sessions, incoming rookies heard from the NBPA’s Dr. Bill Parham and NBA Mind Health’s Dr. Kensa Gunter. The NBA and NBPA also had medical experts on hand to discuss COVID-19 health and safety protocols.
Rookies also joined various peer-to-peer panels hosted by three-time NBA champion Dwyane Wade and current players in the league including Karl-Anthony Towns, Tobias Harris, Danillo Gallinari and Pat Connaughton.
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
“With someone like Karl-Anthony Towns, he did a great job of relating because he was in our shoes just a few years ago. He went through some of the exact same things like EYBL, AAU, college,” said Stanley. “He made sure that we knew he was one of our guys, that he is definitely someone we should reach out to if we have any questions.”
Stanley, who averaged 7.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 14.3 minutes over three preseason games, has also been able to forge strong relationships with Pacers teammates. He specifically mentioned Victor Oladipo, Malcolm Brogdon, Jeremy Lamb, TJ McConnell, Doug McDermott, Aaron Holiday and Justin Holiday as players who’ve guided him. That’s part of the rookie program: Young players are taught how to befriend veterans and lean on them for mentoring and insight.
Taylor described the engagement on the Zoom sessions as “phenomenal” and enjoyed listening to the rookies talk to the current players about topics including what to expect on and off the floor, how to take care of their bodies, the value of sleep and hydration and nutrition, how to navigate the rookie wall, how to get in good graces with coaches and how to reach out for help.
He highlighted Tyrese Haliburton, James Wiseman, Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball and Cole Anthony as those who took the time to ask very thoughtful questions.
Meanwhile, as these individuals receive significantly large paychecks for the first time in their lives and suddenly have to account for managing life-changing money, one of the primary goals of the rookie transition program is to help with financial literacy.
Purvis Short was selected with the No. 5 overall pick in the 1978 NBA draft and enjoyed twelve seasons in the league. He now serves as the NBPA’s Chief of Player Programming and told For The Win that players from his era struggled without the sort of programs the league now provides.
“We didn’t have financial education programs. We didn’t have a career development program,” said Short. “So a lot of us made a lot of mistakes, man.”
Purvis Short (Mike Powell/Getty Images)
These days, Short says that one of the reasons he still works with the players’ labor union is because he wishes that he had a better understanding of the expectations that an NBA player carries when he comes into the league.
He emphasized that he personally wants to help rookies learn how to conduct and carry themselves so as to best represent themselves as an individual and as a member of an NBA organization.
Short can pull from his firsthand experience to tell you that that success on the court has a lot to do with athletic talent, of course. But it is also about how well someone is able to adjust to a new environment, teammates, coaches and work habits.
Nothing will be able to fully prepare a rookie as they turn the page to this massive new chapter in their lives. The rookie transition program, however, will make it a little bit easier for players like Stanley who are up for the challenge.
“This year was particularly difficult,” Short said. “They’re literally being placed right in the middle of the fire. That learning curve is going to be very steep. But that’s why we’re here, to try to help them in whatever way we can and hopefully ease that transition.”
The Rockets announced their trade for 19-year-old prospect KJ Martin Jr., who is the son of former NBA forward Kenyon Martin.
The Houston Rockets on Wednesday announced their trade for KJ Martin Jr., an athletic 19-year-old prospect drafted at No. 52 overall in the 2020 draft. Martin is the son of Kenyon Martin, the NBA’s No. 1 pick in 2000.
To acquire the guard/forward, the team is giving up cash considerations and a 2021 second-round pick from the Los Angeles Lakers.
A three-star [high school] recruit from Sierra Canyon School in Los Angeles, Martin originally committed to play collegiately for Vanderbilt before opting for a postgraduate year at IMG Academy.
In the team’s announcement, here’s how the Rockets describe him:
Martin (6-6, 215) was the 52nd overall pick by the Sacramento Kings in the 2020 NBA Draft. He spent last season with IMG Academy’s post-graduate team, which posted a 29-3 record, and averaged 19.6 points and 8.3 rebounds while shooting 69.1% from inside-the-arc.
The 19-year-old is the son of Kenyon Martin, who was the first overall pick in the 2000 NBA Draft. Martin Jr. attended Sierra Canyon School in California, where he was teammates with Scotty Pippen Jr. and Cassius Stanley, who was selected by Indiana with the 54th overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.
OFFICIAL: The Rockets today announced they acquired the rights to rookie guard KJ Martin Jr. from Sacramento in exchange for cash considerations and a future L.A. Lakers second round pick attained via trade with Detroit.
Here’s Martin’s summary from the Rookie Wire big board:
Kenyon Martin Jr. tested well at the combine, recording a 3/4 sprint and max vert both well above-average for his position. Martin has been described as “arguably the best athlete in the draft” and he did much better on the shooting drills than many expected, shooting 71% in the 3-point endurance drill. The main thing that is holding him back is just his body of work.
Martin spoke with Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston after the trade was made official on Wednesday. While he said he felt pressure in his younger days from his family name, he has recently used it to his benefit.
“When I was younger I felt pressure, but now I take it as an advantage,” Martin told Berman. “He knows the game very well. So I feel like I have that step on a lot of other guys in this draft this year.” Martin clarified that he goes by KJ, rather than Kenyon (his father’s name), to avoid confusion. “I’m kind of my own person,” he commented in the interview.
#Rockets rookie guard @kj_martin, says having a dad (Kenyon Martin), who played 15 years in the NBA, has helped him get where he is today: “It’s great. Seeing it at a young age, seeing how they work every day & now actually being in this situation, it helped a lot. It’s great…” pic.twitter.com/mYRRQLrtIF
Martin said that some of his father’s close friends in the NBA, including Chauncey Billups, Carmelo Anthony, JR Smith, and Allen Iverson, had helped in his basketball development. In all, the elder Martin had a long and distinguished career over 15 professional seasons.
Financial terms for Martin’s contract were not disclosed, but he is believed to be making the NBA’s minimum salary.
[lawrence-related id=40547]
Houston is another team backed up against the hard cap
Cousins at the veteran minimum exception plus 1 more minimum and a contract for 2nd rd. pick KJ Martin (or a vet minimum) leaves them right at $138.9M number.
#Rockets rookie guard @kj__martin, son of Kenyon Martin who played 15 years in the NBA, on hearing his name called in the 2nd round: “It was great. It was great to hear, because Houston had no pick & they bought a pick for me. So it made me feel very welcome & very wanted..” pic.twitter.com/HB8H1EQi0b
The Brooklyn Nets now have a pair of young big men who can learn from their veteran bigs — as well as NBA legend Amar’e Stoudemire.
[jwplayer lXgVN8J2-z6KDnl0B]
The two co-SEC 2019-20 Players of the Year were selected in this year’s NBA draft, and both will call New York their home to start their pro careers.
Although he was projected to go in the second round in most mock drafts, Kentucky guard Immanuel Quickley — who the Nets met with ahead of the draft — was taken No. 25 overall by the Oklahoma City Thunder. The guard was then traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves and again to the New York Knicks. (Clearly, the Brooklyn Nets weren’t the only ones that had a crazy draft night.)
Mississippi State’s Reggie Perry, however, didn’t trend in the same direction — which was totally fine with Sean Marks. The Nets were able to scoop him up in the three-way trade with the Clippers and Pistons after he slipped to Los Angeles at No. 57.
“He’s a big man out there with a forceful nature and step out on the floor, as well as play in the post,” Brooklyn’s general manager told reporters on a Zoom call, per Brian Lewis of the New York Post. “But we had him much higher on our board. I look forward to seeing him develop, I look forward to seeing him in camp and going from there.”
While the Nets seem set down low between Jarrett Allen and DeAndre Jordan, Brooklyn now has a pair of young bigs in Perry and Nic Claxton who could be part of the equation in time.
Doesn’t hurt the Nets to add a big at that stage in the draft. You’re likely not getting a player who’s going to make an impact this season. Plus, why not take advantage of having Amar’e Stoudemire on staff? Isn’t he in Brooklyn to help their bigs That’s why he’s in Brooklyn right? To He can help Perry and Claxton bring their game to another level.
