Tag: Damian Jones

Russell Westbrook-D’Angelo Russell trade has been finalized

After months of speculation, the Lakers have finally traded Russell Westbrook and will be getting D’Angelo Russell and two other players.

Early on Wednesday afternoon, reports surfaced that the Los Angeles Lakers were in serious discussions with the Minnesota Timberwolves regarding a trade that would bring them guard D’Angelo Russell while sending out Russell Westbrook.

The proposed trade also involved the Utah Jazz and would have Westbrook become a member of their squad.

According to ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski, the trade is now final.

In addition to getting Russell, the Lakers will also land big man Jarred Vanderbilt and guard Malik Beasley. This deal will make them significantly younger. Westbrook is 34, while Russell, Vanderbilt and Beasley are 26, 23 and 26, respectively.

Los Angeles will also give up forward Juan Toscano-Anderson and center Damian Jones, as well as a 2027 first-round draft pick that will have some lottery protection.

Russell is having a nice season, averaging 17.9 points and 6.2 assists per game while shooting 46.5% overall and 39.1% from 3-point range.

His shooting percentages have been up and down over the years, but if he continues to shoot well from downtown, he will significantly help L.A. address its biggest need: 3-point shooting.

Russell played his first two seasons with the Purple and Gold before being sent to the Brooklyn Nets in a deal that brought Kyle Kuzma to the team.

Vanderbilt is a 6-foot-8, 214-pound big man who is a good rebounder and has some defensive potential. Beasley has been inconsistent, but has potential as an instant offense player.

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Thomas Bryant is proving why he should start at center

So far in the preseason, Thomas Bryant has been the Lakers’ best true center, by far.

On Sunday night, the Los Angeles Lakers played their fourth preseason game of the 2022-23 campaign, and for the first time in two years, they actually won a preseason contest.

They did so by outlasting the Golden State Warriors, 124-121, even though LeBron James and Russell Westbrook sat out to get some rest.

A few themes are emerging as the regular season inches closer for Los Angeles. Kendrick Nunn looks healthy and like his old self. Austin Reaves looks more comfortable and poised, especially as a secondary facilitator. And Anthony Davis seems motivated.

But something that may have gone relatively unnoticed is the fine play of center Thomas Bryant.

The Lakers signed him to a veteran’s minimum contract in July, and many shrugged it off as a signing that would have minimal impact. Such naysayers cited the fact Bryant had suffered an ACL injury in January 2021 and has struggled to regain his form ever since.

But Bryant is looking good, and barring something unexpected in the team’s final two exhibition contests, he deserves to start at the 5 this season.

Thomas Bryant has nothing against Damian Jones possibly starting games

Lakers coach Darvin Ham is leaning towards starting Damian Jones at center, and Thomas Bryant seems perfectly fine with it.

Last season, the Los Angeles Lakers had a very weak center rotation. They depended on the washed-up DeAndre Jordan and a declining Dwight Howard.

Jordan fell out of the rotation before long, while Howard was played inconsistently and clearly wasn’t the same vital role player he had been during their championship season two years prior.

But this season, Los Angeles has what looks like two true centers, Damian Jones and Thomas Bryant.

So far in training camp, it appears head coach Darvin Ham has preferred starting Jones over Bryant, even though many thought Bryant might have had the inside track for that spot.

But Bryant has no hard feelings.

Via Lakers Nation:

“‘He’s a very athletic, big man who can really attack the rim, protect the rim as well,’ the 25-year-old Bryant said of Jones at Lakers media day. ‘And, and I feel like myself is a great inside score but also the 3-point shooting that I can bring to the table as well really helps.’

“Bryant added his goal isn’t to start games — but rather, to help the Lakers win.

“‘Whatever you play in this game of basketball, you always want to play with the best of the best all the time and everything. But for me, throughout this team, it’s not about starting,’ he said.

“‘It’s about what does this team need me to do? What can I bring to the table? How can I help myself and this team to perform the best way possible — and that’s winning. That’s all we care about, it’s winning. So it doesn’t matter if I’m starting, coming off the bench, we want to win.'”

Thomas is a more proven 3-point shooter and a more energetic and visceral player, but Jones may have a little more bounce in terms of his athleticism and being a lob threat.

During the 2019-20 season, one of the things that made the Lakers tough to handle was the “vertical spacing” that Howard and JaVale McGee provided, as well as their ability to block shots and run the floor in transition.

Those are all qualities Jones and Bryant also possess.

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Lakers have started Kendrick Nunn and Damian Jones in training camp

Lakers head coach Darvin Ham seems to have a working starting lineup that he is starting to believe in.

One of the big questions regarding the Los Angeles Lakers this season is who will be in their starting lineup.

Other than LeBron James and Anthony Davis, there have been three spots that have seemingly been open, and head coach Darvin Ham seemed noncommittal in public when asked who would fill those spots.

But several days into training camp, there seems to be an answer, at least for now.

Ham said he has been starting Russell Westbrook, as well as guard Kendrick Nunn and center Damian Jones most often during practices, and that it has been his preferred starting lineup thus far.

However, it appears that starting lineup is fluid.

Jones was signed as a free agent earlier this summer, and while he isn’t an overpowering player, he is a relatively energetic 27-year-old who can block shots, rebound, run the floor and score every now and then.

Nunn didn’t play last season because of a bone bruise in his knee, but he is a proven scorer who is efficient from all over the court.

During the 2020-21 season, he averaged 14.6 points a game while shooting 48.5 percent overall and 38.1 percent from 3-point range.

Zach Lowe’s prediction on Lakers’ starting lineup this season

One NBA reporter predicts the Lakers will make a couple of interesting and debatable decisions when it comes to their starting lineup.

Other than LeBron James and Anthony Davis, there are plenty of questions about who will be in the starting lineup for the Los Angeles Lakers this season.

Will Russell Westbrook still be there? What about Kendrick Nunn and newcomer Patrick Beverley? Will Austin Reaves get the nod, as some have suggested? Who will be the team’s starting center?

NBA reporter Zach Lowe gave his prediction on what L.A.’s starting five will look like this coming season, and it is sure to spark plenty of debate among fans.

Via Lakers Daily:

“Zach Lowe, host of “The Lowe Post” podcast, spoke with ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne about a number of Lakers-related topics, and noted (at the 12:08 mark) that his opinion is simply something that he envisions.

” ‘So, based on what I’ve heard, my prediction for what will be the starting five, not what should, but what will, is Russ (Russell Westbrook), (Kendrick) Nunn, and the Nunn buzz … there’s a lot of Kendrick Nunn talk, among 25 people who care about it,’ Lowe said. ‘Russ, Nunn, LeBron (James), A.D. (Anthony Davis) and I think Damien Jones is right now the front-runner to start at center, and I am as big a Damian Jones fan as exists in the NBA media.'”

Westbrook and Nunn starting in the backcourt would be an interesting option. Such a tandem would give the Lakers abundant firepower to start each contest as well as a proven 3-point shooter, Nunn.

However, it would be an undersized backcourt that would likely be vulnerable on the defensive end.

Jones is an up-and-coming defensive center, and he could have a good shot at the starting 5 spot. However, Thomas Bryant, L.A.’s other true center, is a more proven 3-point shooter, and the team needs players around James, Davis and Westbrook who can space the floor and keep defenses honest.

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Damian Jones will plug some significant holes for the Lakers

Damian Jones is a very nice free agent signing for the Lakers who can supply multiple qualities they have been lacking.

When the Los Angeles Lakers won the NBA championship in 2020, they did so with a solid center rotation that consisted of JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard.

Both men provided the team with vertical spacing, transition baskets, defense, rim protection and rebounding.

They also allowed Anthony Davis to play power forward more often than not.

But the Lakers’ center rotation has been lacking since. They had to make do with Marc Gasol in 2021 and an aging and ineffective DeAndre Jordan this past season.

As a result, Anthony ended up playing 76% of his minutes at the 5 in 2022, which is way too much for him.

But this season, L.A. will have a solid center duo once again after signing Damian Jones and Thomas Bryant to man the position.

While the Bryant signing got hard-core Lakers fans somewhat excited because he’s already a proven player, Jones should also prove an indispensable piece for the team in a couple of different areas.

Lakers have signed center Damian Jones

The Lakers have added a young shot-blocking center to their roster.

The Los Angeles Lakers’ first signing of the 2022 free agency period will address one of the team’s most pressing needs.

They have needed upgrades in the frontcourt, both in terms of young, productive two-way wings and one or two centers who can defend and rebound.

Upgrades at the center position would have an added benefit, as they would allow Anthony Davis to play less time at that position and remain at his customary power forward spot more often.

He played 76 percent of his minutes this year at the 5, which many would agree is too much for him.

But now L.A. has agreed to sign Damian Jones, a 6-foot-11, 245-pound center.

Jones had actually played eight contests for L.A. during the 2021 season after signing two 10-day contracts with the team. He has been with the Sacramento Kings since, averaging 8.1 points, 4.4 rebounds and 0.8 blocks in 18.2 minutes a game this past season.

He is just 27, so he will also help fulfill general manager Rob Pelinka’s goal of having a younger roster next season.

Jones also started to develop something of an outside shot this year, shooting 34.5 percent from 3-point range this year on 0.5 attempts per game.

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Alvin Gentry, Kings in awe of Sixers star Joel Embiid after big performance

Alvin Gentry and the Sacramento Kings are in awe of Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid after a big performance.

Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid continued his impressive stretch of games on Saturday, leading the team to a 103-101 win over the Sacramento Kings at home. Philadelphia trailed by as many as 17 points in the third quarter before turning it around thanks in large part to Embiid.

The big fella had 17 points in the third quarter and made big plays in the fourth quarter to get the job done. He finished with 36 points on 10-for-18 shooting with 12 rebounds and six assists.

The final stat line is impressive when acknowledging he shot 1-for-5 for 12 points in the first half as the Kings took a 61-50 lead into halftime. That type of performance earned the respect of Kings interim coach Alvin Gentry.

“We played a really good basketball team with a guy that’s pretty much unstoppable,” said Gentry. “We held him to 38 (36) and that’s below his average, so I don’t know if anything else needs to be said other than that. He’s a little bit of everything. He’s part Shaq (O’Neal), part (Hakeem) Olajuwon, whatever you want to say. He’s just a tremendous player and he came back.”

Along with what Gentry saw, Embiid also earned high praise from Kings big man Damian Jones, who had a tough time defending Embiid on the night.

“He’s a tough guard,” said Jones. “He does a lot of things well. He scores the ball well, you’ve gotta try to figure out a way to guard him without fouling because he draws fouls so well. We fought ourselves back in the game, we had the lead and we lost it.”

Embiid continues to put on a scoring rampage. As the season continues Monday against the Memphis Grizzlies, he will need to find a way to get it done again in a tough matchup against Steven Adams.

This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Report: Lakers wanted to bring back Damian Jones in free agency; Kings guaranteed his contract

The Los Angeles Lakers reportedly hoped to bring back center Damian Jones, but the Sacramento Kings guaranteed his contract.

The Los Angeles Lakers have a brewing dilemma at the center position as more news and rumors circulate.

Currently on the roster is Anthony Davis, who is expected to log more minutes at the five, Dwight Howard and Marc Gasol.

Gasol, however, isn’t a lock to return next year despite committing to complete his contract with L.A. after his run with Spain in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

With recent rumors of DeAndre Jordan possibly coming via buyout from the Brooklyn Nets and L.A. reportedly searching for centers in case Gasol doesn’t return, it appears L.A. tried re-adding another former Laker in free agency.

According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Lakers wanted to bring back Damian Jones:

“League sources say that the Lakers had strong interest earlier in the summer in trying to reacquire Damian Jones, but Sacramento elected to retain Jones and make his contract guaranteed for the coming season even though the Kings already have Richaun Holmes, Tristan Thompson, Alex Len and (yes, still) Marvin Bagley III.”

Jones played eight games, and started six, for the Lakers last season on multiple 10-day contracts, but L.A. moved on instead of inking him to a guaranteed deal for the remainder of the season; Andre Drummond would later fill his spot.

The Sacramento Kings picked up Jones shortly after because of the efficiency he displayed in limited minutes. Jones averaged 5.4 points, 3.3 rebounds and 0.9 blocks while shooting 94.1% overall and 91.7% from the charity stripe, albeit on low volume, in 14 minutes per game.

The 26-year-old center provided flashes of the rim-running, lob-threat big the Lakers desperately lacked after letting Howard and JaVale McGee walk, but the Kings guaranteed his near $2 million salary for the 2021-22 season instead of releasing him.

Jones will be an unrestricted free agent in 2022, but only time will tell if he’s ever donning the purple and gold again.

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Lakers news: Damian Jones gets start again at center for Marc Gasol

Los Angeles Lakers center Damian Jones, who just signed another 10-day contract, is getting another chance to start on Friday.

While the Los Angeles Lakers are without their two starting big men, that has created an opportunity for center Damian Jones to make another strong impression with the Lakers after signing another 10-day contract earlier this week.

Jones, who started in the first half of the season finale last week against Sacramento, will get the start for the Lakers once again at center on Friday night against the Indiana Pacers. Anthony Davis remains out with a calf/Achilles injury and Marc Gasol is out due to the league’s health and safety protocols. Jones and Markieff Morris join the regular starters for the Lakers, LeBron James, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Dennis Schöder.

While Friday is the second start for Jones in a Laker uniform, it’s truly his best opportunity to make an impression on the Lakers coaching staff and front office to show what he can do when he gets extended minutes with LeBron James. Jones will also have quite the match-up in Indiana’s strong big man duo of All-Star Domantas Sabonis and center Myles Turner.

While the Lakers have been excellent, the athleticism Jones provides as a lob threat is something they’ve missed after losing JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard in free agency over the summer. The Lakers were the most prolific team in the league last season when it came to scoring on lob plays.

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