Miller debuted with the Hornets in summer league and averaged 15.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.2 steals in five appearances in Sacramento and Las Vegas. He scored in double figures four times, including a summer league-high 26 points on July 11.
The 20-year-old linked up with the former Cavaliers All-Star at Vanderbilt University and was pictured going through various drills with trainer Jamal Richardson. The group previously worked together throughout the summer in various locations.
Miller established himself as the No. 2 pick after averaging 18.8 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists on 38.4% shooting from 3-point range at Alabama. He was a consensus second-team All-American and was also the SEC Player of the Year.
He is among the favorites to win Rookie of the Year and has the fourth-best odds. He is projected to see plenty of minutes this season with the Hornets and should emerge as one of the most productive rookies in the class.
Certainly, hitting the gym with an established player like Garland should only further ensure Miller is ready to hit the court running when the Hornets open the season on Oct. 25.
Max Strus has reportedly agreed to a four-year, $64 million deal to sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Max Strus has reportedly agreed to a four-year, $63 million deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers after a sign-and-trade with the Heat, per ESPN.
Miami landed Cedi Osman, Lamar Stevens and two second-round picks in the three-team deal that involved the Spurs.
Strus is a 6-foot-5, 27-year-old wing who was an essential piece for the Miami Heat during their run to win the Eastern Conference in 2022-23. He started all 23 games that Miami played during the postseason.
The former undrafted free agent is a very smart pickup because Cleveland connected on the third-fewest 3-pointers per game (10.0) among all teams in the postseason, via NBA.com. Only four players in the league attempted more 3-pointers than Strus (135) during the playoffs.
Here is what the rotation will likely look like for Cleveland with Strus in the mix:
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A mock trade has the Brooklyn Nets trading Cam Johnson and others for Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland. Courtesy of James Piercey of the NBA Analysis Network.
The Brooklyn Nets have a lot to consider this offseason as they have to decide how they want to move forward as a franchise. The 2022-23 season was a rollercoaster ride for the organization as they started the season with championship expectations, but ended it getting swept in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Along the way, Brooklyn traded superstars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving for various reasons and once the February trade deadline came and went, the Nets were a completely different team. After trading Durant and Irving, Brooklyn lost some viability as a title contender, but they also gained some much-need draft capital and young players to possibly build around.
At this point, whether Brooklyn wants to contend for a title or rebuild, they have to consider what players should be on the team. According to James Piercey of the NBA Analysis Network, if the Nets are looking to acquire star-level players, Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland would be an option:
HoopsHype re-drafts the 2019 NBA Draft class, which was headlined by the likes of Zion Williamson and Ja Morant and featured Darius Garland.
The 2019 NBA draft was a tale of Zion Williamson and Ja Morant, but little did we know, the class was loaded with hidden gems.
Darius Garland, Tyler Herro, and Jordan Poole have exceeded expectations, proving themselves as steals. Then you have a few undrafted players like Lu Dort, Max Strus and Caleb Martin who have become consistent contributors.
There haven’t been many major busts in that class, either, outside of No. 6 pick Jarrett Culver.
Below, check out our re-draft for the 2019 NBA draft class.
Evan Mobley did all he could for the #Cavs against the Raptors, but Cleveland was damaged by an injury to Darius Garland in a narrow loss to Toronto.
The Cleveland Cavaliers were dealt a brutal blow in their first game of the new NBA season on Wednesday night. Cleveland guard Darius Garland suffered an eye injury which kept him off the floor for a significant amount of time. The Cavs started well but were unable to finish the game the way they hoped. Garland’s absence mattered quite a lot in a 108-105 loss to the Toronto Raptors in Canada.
If Garland had been able to play the full game, this contest might have ended differently for the Cavs. One clear reason: Evan Mobley, whose defense remains elite. He showed exactly how formidable he is as a rim protector against the Raptors, in a battle against the man who beat him out (absurdly) for 2022 NBA Rookie of the Year, Scottie Barnes:
The Cavs were snakebitten by injuries last season. They have already been hit by the injury bug once again. Hopefully Mobley — himself injured for significant portions of last season — can stay healthy. That would increase the Cavs’ upside.
HoopsHype is introducing a new series that aims to educate its audience on the rules of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. Here is an FAQ on the designated rookie rule, which has become a topic of conversation in this year’s free agency.
HoopsHype is introducing a new series that aims to educate its audience on the rules of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. Here is an FAQ on the designated rookie rule, which has become a topic of conversation in this year’s free agency.
HoopsHype is introducing a new series that aims to educate its audience on the rules of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. Here is an FAQ on the designated rookie rule, which has become a topic of conversation in this year’s free agency.
A look at some player props ahead of Friday’s play-in games.
The NBA’s Play-In Tournament has a way of keeping viewers on the edge of their toes. We all were invested on Tuesday, whether it was Anthony Edwards bringing the Minnesota Timberwolves home down the stretch of Tuesday’s game against the LA Clippers, or Kyrie Irving’s perfect three quarters against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
But the stakes are higher now — it’s literally “win or go home” for everyone on Friday night, and things are already getting interesting.
For Cleveland, how will Jarrett Allen look in his likely return from a broken finger? Will Bogdan Bogdanovic test out his sprained ankle for Atlanta? And which Clipper is going to fill in for the recently ruled out Paul George (health and safety protocols)?
Enough about the future. Let’s focus on this weekend’s playoff picture.
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What’s good, family! Welcome to Layup Lines. It’s your boy Sykes here to lead you into tonight’s NBA action. But first a quick thought.
I know things have been this way for a while, but can we stop looking so far ahead into the future when it comes to the NBA?
ESPN’s Jay Williams did just that today when he made waves on the internet by saying LaMelo Ball is not long for Charlotte. He’s literally putting the kid on the Lakers already.
Never mind the fact that he’s just finished his 2nd season as an NBA player or the fact that there’s this whole restricted free agency thing that makes it all the more likely he’ll be in Charlotte until, at least, 2027.
Forget all that. The dude is just a Laker already.
This is a huge problem with NBA coverage. And it’s not just a Jay Williams thing or an ESPN thing. People everywhere are more obsessed with the transactions in the NBA than basketball itself. This is what Kevin Durant meant when he said NBA fans don’t like anything about the NBA last year— there’s plenty to talk about, but we never talk about it.
We’re way too focused on the future with the NBA and what will come as opposed to what’s happening right now. We just had 4 awesome play-in games. We’ve had a historic MVP race. There are plenty of awesome playoff matchups to talk about.
And instead? LaMelo to the Lakers dominated the online conversation. We need to do better. Much, much, much better.
The Tip-Off
Some NBA goodness from around the USA TODAY Sports network.
Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Don’t trick yourself when it comes to the Hawks vs. the Cavaliers tonight. We tend to get a bit too caught up in the regular season at times, my colleague Prince Grimes writes.
But the Hawks than the Cavaliers coming into the season. They certainly feel like the better team right now. Roll with that.
Atlanta has a bottom five defensive rating over the course of the season but ranks 11th in the last 15 games, better than the Cavs who are 24th in that time. Paired with a top 10 offense in that span, the Hawks have the league’s seventh-best net rating. As hard as it is to do, I’m ignoring what we’ve seen over the course of most of 82 games and taking the Hawks to ride this momentum and end up in the playoffs where they always belonged.
Clippers (-105) vs. Pelicans (-1.5, -115), O/U 215.5, 10 PM ET
Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
The play-in game out west is probably going to be the most interesting one tonight with Paul George missing time in the NBA’s health and safety protocol. The Pelicans looked dominant against the Spurs and CJ McCollum can’t miss right now. I’m going Pels -1.5 tonight.
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