Tag: Amari Bailey

Former UCLA player Amari Bailey with Clippers for Summer League

Another chance for Amari Bailey.

It’s been a good summer for former UCLA Bruins basketball players. With Jrue Holiday winning the NBA title, Adem Bona getting drafted, and Jaime Jaquez getting some time against the Olympic team.

Now, it was announced that Amari Bailey would be part of the Los Angeles Clippers Summer League team. Bailey, who is still just 20 years old played at UCLA from 2022-2023. The former Sierra Canyon School star grew up in Chicago and moved to California in 2022.

At UCLA, he was the conference freshman of the year twice and scored 19 points in a game twice in the regular season. His career high was 26 in the Pac-12 tournament win over Colorado in 2023.

Bailey was selected in the 2023 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Hornets, 23rd overall. He played 16 minutes per game as a 19-year-old for Charlotte during the 2023 summer league.

Bailey and the Clippers will open their 2024 Summer League slate on Friday against the Denver Nuggets.

Amari Bailey scores 26 points, Leaky Black nears triple-double in G League debuts

Hornets rookies Amari Bailey and Leaky Black debuted in the G League on Friday and led the Swarm to their first win.

Charlotte Hornets rookies Amari Bailey and Leaky Black debuted in the G League on Friday and helped lead the Greensboro Swarm to their first win of the season.

Bailey produced a game-high 26 points, six assists, three assists, one steal and one block on 10-of-20 shooting from the field in the 108-82 victory over the Raptors 905. Black recorded 12 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists and two steals in 28 minutes. He went 4-of-6 from the field.

Bailey and Black made their presence known off the bench, and both were productive during their time on the court. They filled the stat sheet and the highlight reel for the Swarm.

The two players, who are signed to two-way contracts, were assigned to the Swarm on Friday afternoon. Miles Bridges, Gordon Hayward and Brandon Miller returned to the Hornets’ lineup on Friday, and the team opted to send Bailey and Black to the G League for playing time.

Now that the Hornets are getting healthier, Bailey and Black will likely suit up more for the Swarm. They play their next four games at home within the next week, including another matchup against the 905 on Saturday, so they should see more minutes.

The organization valued the additions of Bailey and Black and is likely eager to see how they develop in the G League. They have shown what they can provide in a small sample size and should continue to improve with more minutes.

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2023 NBA Mock Draft 5.0: 58 projections after the early entry withdrawal deadline

Rookie Wire took a look at where the next draft class stands following the early entry withdrawal deadline.

The NBA pre-draft process crossed another important checkpoint on the schedule with the early entry withdrawal deadline coming and going this week.

Prospects had the opportunity to test the waters and meet with teams to gain feedback on their potential draft stock. To maintain their remaining college eligibility, they had to withdraw from consideration by 11:59 p.m. EDT on Wednesday.

The deadline saw several potential second-round picks withdraw from the draft and return to school. With name, image and likeness playing a prevalent role in college basketball, players were likely swayed to stay one more year to work on their games and capitalize financially.

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The 2024 draft is also projected to be weaker than in past years, which also may have played a role in some players opting against turning pro. They likely believe they will have a greater chance of being a first-round pick next year.

With several players off the board, teams can prioritize workouts and interviews with those individuals remaining in the draft. As a result, players’ stock will continue to fluctuate with less than three weeks to go until the draft.

Rookie Wire took a look at where the draft stands following the early entry withdrawal deadline. Team needs were taken into consideration for these picks.

Projecting who the Boston Celtics will select with the No. 35 pick of the 2023 NBA draft

Take a look at a new projection on who Boston might elect to use their No. 35 overall pick on using an aggregate mock draft and known workouts.

With the 2023 NBA draft lottery finally having come and gone, the Boston Celtics know where it is that they will be selecting with their sole pick of the 2023 NBA draft, a second round pick that came to them by way of the Portland Trail Blazers thanks to a complicated set of pick protections related to moves made in the 2022 offseason.

That pick will likely be used for a player able to contribute in the deep rotation immediately or to fill the third two way slot opened up for all 30 teams in the league in the new collective bargaining agreement adopted by the Association recently.

And with the lottery being set comes a fresh set of projections of who Boston and other teams might select — let’s take a look at what the folks at HoopsHype believe the Celtics might elect to use that No. 35 overall pick on using their aggregate mock draft and known workouts.

Celtics go for freshman PAC-12 combo guard in new 2023 NBA mock draft

Still raw as one might expect at his age and level of experience, the Chicago native has size and defensive intensity that hint at a solid rotation player with upside.

As the 2023 NBA draft draws nearer while the 2023 NBA postseason unfolds, league analysts are increasingly turning their attention to the bog offseason event. And with that attention comes projections for what each of the Association’s 30 teams will do in the draft, a recent mock draft from NBADraft.net among them.

The mock has the Boston Celtics taking 6-foot-5 combo guard Amari Bailey out of UCLA with the 35th pick of the draft, the most likely draft position the Celtics will be selecting from this season with their sole second-rounder not owed to other teams (there is a small chance Boston could end up with the Houston Rockets’ No. 35 pick).

Bailey is just 19 years old but put up 11.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 49.5% from the floor, 38.9% from deep, and 69.8% from the stripe in his sole season playing in a competitive PAC-12 conference.

Still raw as one might expect at his age and level of experience, the Chicago native has size and defensive intensity that hint at a solid rotation player with upside.

He would not likely be able to contribute right away, meaning such a selection would probably see Bailey stashed abroad or with one of the team’s now three two way slots for future depth development if Boston did go this route in the draft.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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2023 NBA Mock Draft 3.0: Projections for every pick post-March Madness

Rookie Wire took a look at where the next draft class stands following the NCAA Tournament.

The NBA pre-draft process is in full swing as prospects around the world prepare to transition to the next level.

Teams around the league will begin hosting private workouts in the coming weeks as they finalize their draft boards. There will be various pro days on the radar and, of course, the draft combine and G League Elite Camp next month in Chicago, Illinois.

Underclassmen have until April 23 to declare for the draft. Several notable players have already decided to return to school, including Kyle Filipowski, Harrison Ingram, Baylor Scheierman and Kel’el Ware. Others are still mulling over their decisions.

Related: Key dates for NBA draft, combine, lottery and deadlines

With players still in the process of making decisions, some prospects were excluded from this mock draft because they are projected to return to school next season. However, most players projected to be drafted have already announced their decisions.

Rookie Wire took a look at where the draft stands following the NCAA Tournament. It is important to note that team needs were not necessarily taken into account with each pick. The projections are rather a look at where each individual player stands at this point of the process.

Note: The order of the draftย was pulled from Tankathon as of April 14. The draft will have only 58 picks this year because the Bulls and 76ers were stripped of their second-round picks by the NBA due to tampering violations.

Potential first-round pick Amari Bailey declares for NBA draft

Bailey helped lead the Bruins to the Sweet 16 after averaging 11.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.1 steals.

UCLA freshman Amari Bailey announced Thursday on social media that he will forgo his remaining college eligibility and declare for the 2023 NBA draft.

Bailey, who was named to the Pac-12 All-Freshman team, averaged 11.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.1 steals on 38.9% shooting from 3-point range. He scored in double figures in 18 games, including a season-high 26 points on March 9 in the conference tournament.

The 6-foot-5 guard came on strong at the end of the season to help the Bruins reach the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament. He posted averages of 17.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and three assists on 46.7% shooting from beyond the arc in six postseason games.

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Bailey is considered a potential first-round pick given his ability as a scorer and shooter. He also offered a glimpse of his defensive potential throughout the year as a guard that can play the passing lanes and provide pressure on the opposition.

Underclassmen have until April 23 to declare for the draft.

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5 NBA prospects with rising draft stock after the opening rounds of March Madness

UCLA’s Amari Bailey looks like a top prospect yet again.

We had an exciting opening weekend in the opening rounds of March Madness, and several prospects significantly helped their draft stock.

NBA players are selected based on their full resume and body of work and not just their most recent games on the court. But it never hurts to play well under the bright lights of the men’s NCAA tournament.

Based on the first two rounds of the Big Dance, these were some of the most notable players who made the best cases for themselves thus far (and don’t forget to check out our mock draft from before the tourney).

The best takes and the sharpest bets on all the hoops storylines you need to know.ย Sign up for our Layup Lines newsletter,ย hitting your inbox on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Oregon MBB recap: Bruins come alive to defeat Ducks

UCLA came to play in the second half and overwhelmed the Ducks 65-56 to hand Oregon its first conference loss.

The Oregon men’s basketball team played one good half.

Unfortunately against a team like UCLA, that’s not nearly enough. The Bruins outscored the Ducks 44-29 in the second half to defeat Oregon 65-56 inside Pauley Pavilion.

With the loss, Oregon falls to 4-5 overall and 1-1 in Pac-12 action. UCLA improved to 7-2 and 2-0 in conference play.

It was definitely a tale of two halves. The Ducks played great defense in the first half, but after the break, Oregon played virtually no defense. It was also crushed on the boards, especially on the offensive end. The Bruins managed to pull down 16 offensive rebounds and scored 13 second-chance points.

Oregon shot 24-of-49 from the field, but just 4-of-17 from long range and they could never get to the free-throw line on a regular basis. The Ducks were just 4-of-7 from the charity stripe.

Forward Quincy Guerrier was off to a good start, but he hurt his ankle late in the first half and although he came back to play, his effectiveness never quite came back.

2023 NBA Mock Draft 1.0: An early look at the top prospects next year

Rookie Wire took a very early look at the next rookie class and some of the top prospects to monitor over the course of the 2022-23 season.

With the basketball world over a month removed from the NBA draft, many have started to look ahead to the next rookie class and which prospects may be available.

The class is headlined by French phenom Victor Wembanyama, who is considered one of the top prospects in recent memory. He has performed well in the top basketball league in France and looks to already be locked in as the top pick in 2023.

Elsewhere, there are several other prospects that will be worth monitoring over the course of next season. The rankings will certainly change but it can be a productive exercise to see how prospects moved up and down draft boards ahead of next year.

Rookie Wire took a very early look at the next rookie class and some of the top prospects to monitor as the 2022-23 season approaches in a couple of months.

Note: The order of the draft was determined by the reverse championship odds set byย Tipico Sportsbook.ย The 2023 draft will only have 59 picks after the Bulls were stripped of their second-round pick by the NBA due to a tampering violation involving the signing of Lonzo Ball.