Tag: Hassani Gravett

Hassani Gravett has wholesome reaction to first start in Atlanta

Gravett earned the start on Wednesday for the short-handed Magic in front of friends and family in his hometown of Atlanta.

Hassani Gravett signed with the Orlando Magic just last week, and the undrafted rookie from South Carolina has had the opportunity to experience plenty of firsts in the NBA in such a small time frame.

That includes playing, and starting, in his hometown of Atlanta, Georgia.

Gravett earned the start on Wednesday for the short-handed Magic in just his third career game in the NBA. He recorded eight points, five rebounds and five assists to help lead the Magic to a 104-98 win over the Hawks for their second straight victory.

He went 3-of-6 from the field, including 2-of-4 from 3-point range.

The Magic were forced to sign four players from the Lakeland Magic on Friday via hardship exceptions by the NBA when five were entered into the health and safety protocols. They now have six players out because of protocols, plus another five down with injuries.

The win, head coach Jamahl Mosley said, gave them something to celebrate.

We always talk about celebrating the small successes. … We got four of these guys that are actually from Atlanta so them being able to play in front of their family and their friends, that’s the thing you celebrate, especially around the holidays.

The familiarity Gravett has with the system in Orlando has enabled him to have strong contributions since signing last week. He played with the Magic in the Las Vegas Summer League and was with them during training camp and the preseason so he has knowledge of their plays.

Lakeland runs much of the same plays and sets that are called in Orlando, allowing for a smooth transition for Gravett and the other three players that signed. Gravett is averaging seven points, four rebounds and 3.7 assists in three games with Orlando.

The performance on Wednesday was one Gravett will remember for a long time.

Gravett will rejoin Lakeland once the Magic get more players back from injuries and the health and safety protocols. The opportunity to log playing time in the NBA will be short-lived for the time being, but the memories will likely last a lifetime for Gravett and others like him.

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

[lawrence-related id=47033,46840,46762]

[mm-video type=video id=01fqky7hw1ejrzbapg7b playlist_id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=01f1jxkahtwnvzepyp image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fqky7hw1ejrzbapg7b/01fqky7hw1ejrzbapg7b-c492b58fca7d1fe42f3f8cf41d496860.jpg]

[listicle id=46940]

Explaining the NBA’s hardship exception and the free agents who signed as replacement players

Explaining what hardship exceptions and replacement players mean as COVID-19 protocols hit the NBA.

As the omicron variant of COVID-19 continues to spread, the NBA has required a large share of “replacement players” to fill in for the players who are in health and safety protocols. And so far, more than 100 players have reportedly entered the league’s health and safety protocols so far this month, per ESPN’s Baxter Holmes.

But how exactly do the “replacement players” work?

Essentially, the NBA’s hardship exception allows teams to exceed the 15-man roster limit if more than three players on the roster are each going to miss extended time due to illness or injury. Typically, teams weren’t allowed to apply for the hardship exception before Jan. 5.

But starting last season, the league changed the policy to allow earlier exceptions. And as of earlier this week, effective Dec. 19 until Jan. 19, the NBA is allowing teams to sign one replacement player for each player on their roster who tests positive for COVID-19.

While there are some big names (e.g. Isaiah Thomas, Lance Stephenson, CJ Miles) who have signed as replacement players, there are lots of promising young NBA hopefuls who are hoping to use this opportunity as a chance to stick around the league.

Not all of the players below were signed through hardship exceptions and some transactions (e.g. DeMarcus Cousins and Wesley Matthews to the Milwaukee Bucks) may have happened anyway during a normal season.

But below, based on the NBA’s transaction log and reporting from the league’s top insiders, you can find a live tracker of all the players who have signed new deals with NBA teams over the course of the past month.