Tag: D.J. Wilson

Lakers worked out OKC Blue veteran D.J. Wilson, per ESPN

D.J. Wilson spent most of last season with the G League affiliate of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reported on Tuesday that the Los Angeles Lakers held several workouts with NBA free agents. One was D.J. Wilson, who spent the majority of last season on the G League affiliate of the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Oklahoma City Blue.

Wilson appeared in four games with the Toronto Raptors last season and averaged 7.5 points and four rebounds. The 26-year-old is a five-year veteran who spent the first four seasons of his career with the Milwaukee Bucks.

Blue head coach Grant Gibbs admitted thinking Wilson was probably too good for the G League and deserved an NBA spot. With the Thunder focusing on player development, giving Wilson rotation minutes didn’t align with the team’s goals despite his being good enough to warrant a roster spot at the very least.

In 17 games last season with the Blue, Wilson averaged 19.5 points on 60% shooting, 11.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists.

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NBA hardship contracts: Top performances by 10-day signees

Rookie Wire took a look at the top performances by players on 10-day hardship contracts.

The month of December proved to be a rather difficult time for teams and players alike in the NBA after dealing with the latest outbreak of the coronavirus.

Over 200 players entered the health and safety protocol in December and 11 games were postponed as a result of the outbreak. Teams have called up nearly 100 players from the NBA G League to replace those in the protocol, creating opportunities for under-the-radar guys.

With several roster players sidelined in the protocol, teams relied on those call-ups to field teams and avoid further postponements. Several players signed via hardship exception took advantage of the opportunity and made a name for themselves.

The performances by those players will go a long way in securing long-term contracts in the NBA. The latest obstacle surrounding the coronavirus certainly proved to be difficult but one uplifting consequence is seeing several players realizing the opportunity of a lifetime.

With most teams through the worst of the latest coronavirus outbreak, Rookie Wire took a look at some of the top performances by players signed via hardship contracts. We will continue to update this list with each notable outing.

Note: List current through games played on Jan. 4

Raptors sign OKC Blue’s D.J. Wilson to hardship exception deal

The Raptors snag up D.J. Wilson in a move that felt inevitable as the 25-year-old dominated G League competition.

According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, the Toronto Raptors have signed Oklahoma City Blue product D.J. Wilson to a 10-day hardship deal. Wilson, who just had a 20 point and 10 rebounds double double on Tuesday’s Blue game, has averaged 13.9 points and 9.7 rebounds in 13 games this season.

The four-year NBA veteran has career averages of 4.3 points and 3.1 rebounds in 142 games between the Milwaukee Bucks and Houston Rockets. Wilson signed with the Thunder as a training camp invitee but did not make the final roster nor receive one of the two-way spots on the team.

When I spoke to Blue head coach Grant Gibbs last month, he mentioned how Wilson is probably too good to play in the G League and definitely deserved to play significantly more minutes, but due to player development priorities, he was not given that opportunity.

It looks like that opportunity will come with the Raptors with six of their players currently in health and safety protocols. The NBA recently implemented a new rule where if enough players are under COVID protocols, a team can create a roster spot(s) in order to have enough players to play in NBA games.

It was always odd to me why the Thunder never converted Wilson to Paul Watson Jr.’s two-way spot, who has only appeared in five games. Wilson is the much better and would be the best traditional big on the team immediately. Either way, it looks like healthy and safety protocols have given Wilson a chance to stick to an NBA roster.

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Thunder waive D.J. Wilson, Scotty Hopson ahead of regular season

D.J. Wilson and Scotty Hopson were waived by the OKC Thunder.

The Oklahoma City Thunder waived forward D.J. Wilson and wing Scotty Hopson, the team announced on Friday morning.

With the news that Wilson was waived, it would appear the 15-man roster is set with Gabriel Deck in the final spot.

Wilson was signed to the Thunder’s training camp roster in late September after spending last season with the Milwaukee Bucks and Houston Rockets. Over 3.5 seasons with the Bucks, Wilson averaged 4.0 points in 11.9 minutes of play. In 23 games with the Rockets last season after a mid-season trade, Wilson averaged 6.1 points in 14.3 minutes per contest.

He appeared in two preseason games for the Thunder.

Hopson, a 32-year-old 6-foot-7 guard, has bounced around the NBA and overseas since finishing his University of Tennessee playing days in 2011. He appeared in two games for the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2013-14 and one for the Dallas Mavericks in 2017-18.

He played in the NBL during both the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons.

Hopson’s most recent NBA experience was on the 2019-20 OKC Blue, the Thunder’s G League affiliate. He averaged 18.3 points in six games. It would be unsurprising to see Hopson back in a Blue uniform this year, if he does not return overseas.

The Thunder’s 2021-22 season is set to begin on Oct. 20 when Oklahoma City plays against the Utah Jazz. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m.

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Thunder add Rob Edwards, DJ Wilson to training camp roster

The OKC Thunder signed guard Rob Edwards and former Milwaukee Buck forward D.J. Wilson, the team announced on Monday.

The Oklahoma City Thunder signed guard Rob Edwards and forward D.J. Wilson, the team announced on Monday.

The two will join the training camp roster as the Thunder prepare for the offseason and regular season.

Rob Edwards played for the Oklahoma City Blue in the G League bubble last season. During his 15 appearances, he averaged 12.5 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 21.3 minutes per game.

Known as a sharpshooter in college, Edwards shot 44% from 3 with the Blue.

He translated that into summer league, during which he broke out for 23 points in two separate games, both times drilling four 3-pointers.

Wilson appeared in 35 games between the Milwaukee Bucks and Houston Rockets last season. In 12.4 minutes per contest, he averaged 5.2 points and 3.2 rebounds.

The 25-year-old has four seasons of NBA basketball under his belt. He spent three and a half years with the Bucks before being moved to Houston as part of the trade that shipped P.J. Tucker to Milwaukee.

Wilson, listed as a 6-foot-10 power forward, has shooting percentages of 41.1% from the field and 32.9% from 3 over his career.

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Outlook: Offseason projections for 2020-21 Houston Rockets roster

With the 2020-21 regular season in the books, we look back at the performances of Houston’s roster and rank the likeliest to return.

For the first time in nearly 40 years, the Houston Rockets finished an NBA regular season with the league’s worst record in 2020-21. But that doesn’t mean the year was devoid of bright spots to build around.

Young center Christian Wood earned all-star consideration prior to a severe ankle sprain, and veteran point guard John Wall showed flashes of the form that made him a five-time All-Star earlier in his career. Prospects such as Jae’Sean Tate, Kevin Porter Jr. and KJ Martin burst onto the scene, punctuated by Porter’s historic game (50 points, 11 assists) in a feel-good victory over Milwaukee in late April. Porter, Tate, Martin and Wood were identified as the team’s “young core” to build around.

Veteran big man Kelly Olynyk also made quite an impression around Toyota Center by posting some of the best numbers of his career after his acquisition by Houston at the March 25 trade deadline.

Yet, the status of the franchise’s roster entering the 2021-22 season remains very much in flux. Given Houston’s newfound rebuilding state, general manager Rafael Stone is likely to leave no stone unturned (pardon the pun) in searching for free agency or trade upgrades and potential paths to acquiring another superstar talent — similar to what they had in James Harden, prior to Harden’s forced departure in January.

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There are also complicated decisions to be made involving free agents. For example, if Olynyk wants to stay, Houston has the financial means (Bird rights) to offer whatever it takes to get a deal done. But will he accept the type of proposal that could maintain financial flexibility for Stone to pursue better players in future offseasons? After all, while Olynyk was a good player with the Rockets, he’s certainly not a star.

With those types of considerations in mind, we’re ranking the team’s final 2020-21 roster by likelihood of returning — with categories of very likely, more likely than not, questionable and doubtful. Given Houston’s rebuilding state, it would be silly to call anything 100 percent or zero.

Keep in mind that there aren’t unlimited roster spots. For example, if Houston uses all three of its current 2021 first-round draft picks on players who are immediately available to play, that could require opening three roster spots by this fall. Similarly, any signing of an external free agent in August could take away a roster spot from a 2020-21 player.

Read on to see our tiers, with links to each individual player’s personal profiles and the factors likely to be considered.

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Michael Porter Jr. shoots Nuggets past Kelly Olynyk, short-handed Rockets

Houston was on the second night of a split back-to-back, and they had more players listed as out (nine) than available to play (eight).

Michael Porter Jr. scored a career-high 39 points on 8-of-12 shooting from 3-point range (66.7%) as the Nuggets routed the undermanned Houston Rockets on Saturday night in Denver, 129-116 (box score). MVP frontrunner Nikola Jokic added 24 points and 12 assists.

Forwards Kelly Olynyk (21 points, 11 assists), D.J. Wilson (25 points) and Anthony Lamb (21 points) all broke the 20-point mark for the Rockets. For Wilson and Lamb, those scoring totals were career-highs.

With Saturday’s result, the Nuggets (39-21) held their position at No. 4 in the Western Conference, while the Rockets (15-46) retain the NBA’s worst record. In addition to the clear talent mismatch, Houston was dealing with a range of injury and fatigue issues after playing Friday at home in a surprisingly close game versus the Los Angeles Clippers.

As expected, the Rockets were severely short-handed in the aftermath, with Christian Wood (right ankle), John Wall (maintenance), Kevin Porter Jr. (health and safety protocols), DJ Augustin (left ankle), Sterling Brown (left knee), Dante Exum (right calf), Eric Gordon (right groin), David Nwaba (right wrist), Danuel House Jr. (right ankle), and Avery Bradley (illness) all unavailable. In total, Houston had a much longer list of injured players (10) than of available options (seven).

See below for a roundup of Saturday’s highlights and postgame reaction. Houston returns to action on Tuesday at home versus Minnesota. Wall and Porter should both return by then, but the status of the others is unclear. Tipoff is set for 8:00 p.m. Central from Toyota Center.

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Rafael Stone, Stephen Silas react to Rockets-Bucks trade involving PJ Tucker, DJ Augustin

“We think this deal provides us with flexibility to get really good, young players, but also to be aggressive in pursuing current players.”

With the trade of PJ Tucker to the Milwaukee Bucks now official, Houston Rockets general manager Rafael Stone and head coach Stephen Silas were each allowed Friday to discuss the transaction.

The Bucks are sending young big man D.J. Wilson and veteran point guard DJ Augustin to the Rockets in exchange for Tucker and Rodions Kurucs. The teams are also exchanging draft assets in 2021, 2022 and 2023 with Houston getting more value as part of a complex series of swaps.

Regarding the deal, Stone said (via Mark Berman)

We’re happy for PJ. He’s an exceptional competitor and he’s been an enormous part of our success for the last few years. We’re happy for him that he’s gonna get the opportunity, at this point in his career, to pursue a championship again this year with another team. In terms of the trade, we think it’s good for Milwaukee. They’re getting a guy who can really make a difference winning at the very top level.

For us, we think it makes sense. It’s good for our future, and we’re also excited about DJ Augustin, a guy who has real Houston ties and is an elite shooter, and we think can help us immediately on the court and in the locker room. We think this deal provides us with additional flexibility to get really good, young players, but also to be aggressive in pursuing current NBA players.

A career 37.9% shooter from 3-point range, Augustin is nearly level with that lofty mark in the 2020-21 season (38.0%).

As for Silas, who spoke before Friday night’s home game against Detroit, Houston’s head coach told reporters:

I’m excited about both of them. I’m excited about DJ Augustin, I coached him in Charlotte for a couple years. I know what he brings, as far as professionalism, as far as shot-making, as far as getting the team organized. And he’s very excited to be here, which is great.

D.J. Wilson, I don’t know him very well, but he’s a big body, live body. He hasn’t really gotten a chance to show what he can do, so he’ll get an opportunity here to play some. We’ll figure out what his strengths are, and how he fits in with the group. We’re definitely excited to have both guys.

Silas said that both Augustin and Wilson had completed their physicals with the Rockets, as did Tucker and Kurucs with the Bucks, so each player in the deal was eligible as of Friday night to play for his new team.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADmeCyCiyf4

Watch: Klay Thompson buries transition 3-pointers in latest offseason workout

In his latest offseason workout, Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson was spotted hitting a transition 3-pointer off the dribble.

After sprinting past his brother in a workout earlier in the week, Klay Thompson was spotted getting more work in on Friday. During a pickup game, the five-time All-Star drilled a long-distance jumper while bringing the ball up the court in a fast break.

Co-founder and lead instructor at ICEOCA (Intelligence Concentration Effort Order) Charlie Max Torress shared a video on his Instagram Story of the Golden State Warriors shooting guard knocking down one of his signature transition 3-pointers.

Via @bucketsworth on Instagram:

Thompson was joined at ICEOCA by Milwaukee’s D.J. Wilson and Detroit’s Christian Wood for the workout.

The clip of Thompson working is another positive sign in his rehab from the injury he suffered in the 2019 NBA Finals. The sharpshooting guard recently made his long-awaited return to the practice floor at the Warriors offseason minicamp. The Warriors’ voluntary workouts in The Dubble were Thompson’s first chance to officially practice with his teammates on the court in 15 months.

With no official data for the start of preseason training camp, Thompson will have to wait to make his highly anticipated return to Steve Kerr’s starting lineup at Chase Center.

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