Tag: Jaden Ivey

NBA Rising Stars 2024: Bennedict Mathurin unanimously named MVP to lead Team Jalen to title

Pacers sophomore Bennedict Mathurin was unanimously named MVP of the 2024 NBA Rising Stars game to lead Team Jalen to the championship.

Indiana Pacers sophomore Bennedict Mathurin on Friday was unanimously named MVP of the 2024 NBA Rising Stars game to lead Team Jalen to the championship in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Mathurin produced 18 points in the opening game as Team Jalen defeated Team Tamika. He had four points, two assists and one steal in a 26-13 win in the final over Team Detlef, which consisted of seven of the top players in the G League.

While Mathurin did the bulk of the scoring in the semifinal round, Dereck Lively II had six points and Jordan Hawkins and Jalen Williams each chipped in five points in the final. Williams drained the game-winning 3-pointer to end it for Team Jalen.

The event featured four seven-player teams competing in a three-game tournament for the third straight year. The two semifinal games were played to a target score of 40, and the championship game was played to a target score of 25.

The pool of players for the game consisted of 11 rookies, 10 second-year players and seven players from the G League. The players from the NBA were selected by assistant coaches and the players from the G League were selected by the league office.

The four teams were coached by Hall of Famer Pau Gasol, Indiana Fever legend Tamika Catchings and former Pacers standouts Jalen Rose and Detlef Schrempf, who led the G League team.

Here is how the teams performed in the event.

NBA Rising Stars 2024: Full rosters revealed in draft announcement

The NBA on Tuesday unveiled the four seven-player teams for the 2024 NBA Rising Stars game.

The NBA on Tuesday unveiled the four seven-player teams for the 2024 NBA Rising Stars game on Feb. 16 as part of All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The event will feature four seven-player teams competing in a three-game tournament for the third straight year. The two semifinal games will be played to a target score of 40. The championship game will be played to a target score of 25.

The pool of players for the game consists of 11 rookies, 10 second-year players and seven players from the G League. The 21 players in the NBA will be drafted onto three teams. The seven players in the G League will comprise the fourth team.

The players from the NBA were selected by assistant coaches. The players from the G League were selected by the league office. Each team submitted a rookie ballot and a sophomore ballot featuring four frontcourt players, four guards and two additional players of any position.

Hall of Famer Pau Gasol will return as one of the four honorary head coaches for the event. Joining Gasol are Indiana Fever legend Tamika Catchings and former Indiana Pacers standouts Jalen Rose and Detlef Schrempf, who will lead the G League team.

Here are the rosters drafted by Gasol, Catchings and Rose.

NBA Rising Stars 2024: Player pool revealed for annual showcase at All-Star Weekend

The NBA on Tuesday unveiled the list of 28 players set to participate in the annual Rising Stars game on Feb. 16 at All-Star Weekend.

The NBA on Tuesday unveiled the list of 28 players set to participate in the annual Rising Stars game on Feb. 16 as part of All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The event will feature four seven-player teams competing in a three-game tournament for the third straight year. The two semifinal games will be played to a target score of 40. The championship game will be played to a target score of 25.

The pool of players for the game consists of 11 rookies, 10 second-year players and seven players from the G League. The 21 players in the NBA will be drafted onto three teams and the seven players in the G League will comprise the fourth team.

The players from the NBA were selected by assistant coaches. The players from the G League were selected by the league office. Each team submitted a rookie ballot and a sophomore ballot featuring four frontcourt players, four guards and two additional players of any position.

Hall of Famer Pau Gasol will return as one of the four honorary head coaches for the event. Joining Gasol are Indiana Fever legend Tamika Catchings and former Indiana Pacers standouts Jalen Rose and Detlef Schrempf, who will lead the G League team.

Assistant coaches from the NBA All-Star Game coaching staffs will join the honorary head coaches in coaching the Rising Stars teams. The NBA All-Star Game coaching staffs for both the Eastern and Western Conferences have yet to be determined.

TNT will televise the competition beginning at 9 p.m. EST.

Takeaways: Fred VanVleet rescues Rockets with late heroics in Detroit

The Rockets stayed above .500 thanks largely to Fred VanVleet, who had 12 fourth-quarter points and made crucial plays late to thwart Detroit’s upset bid.

Two nights after overtime heartbreak in Chicago, there seemed to be something of a hangover for the Rockets in Detroit. But thanks to veteran guard Fred VanVleet, Houston (19-18) rallied late in Friday’s 112-110 victory (box score) over the lowly Pistons (3-36).

VanVleet had 20 points (46.7% FG), 12 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. That total included 12 fourth-quarter points and a crucial dime to Alperen Sengun as Houston overcame multiple double-digit deficits. Sengun finished with a game-high 29 points, shooting 12-of-19 (63.2%) from the field and an improved 5-of-7 on free throws (71.4%).

Jalen Green scored 28 points, though he shot just 9-of-25 overall (36.0%) and 2-of-9 on 3-pointers (22.2%). Jabari Smith Jr. finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds on 7-of-15 shooting (46.7%), and he also had 2 blocks and several critical defensive plays to secure the win.

Second-year guard Jaden Ivey led the Pistons with 18 points and 8 assists, but he shot just 1-of-6 on 3-pointers (16.7%) — including a last-second heave that spun out. Houston finished the game on a 10-3 run.

The Rockets were again short-handed on Friday night, with Dillon Brooks (right oblique strain) and Tari Eason (left lower leg soreness) still sidelined. Cade Cunningham (left knee strain) and Bojan Bogdanovic (left calf soreness) were out for Detroit.

Here’s our look at highlights and postgame interviews, along with reaction by media members and fans. Houston continues its road trip Saturday in Boston (29-9), where tipoff is set for 6:00 p.m. Central.

Watch: Notre Dame coach’s son misses open dunk on fast break off steal

Oops.

Maybe Jaden Ivey, son of Notre Dame coach [autotag]Niele Ivey[/autotag], should sit out whenever he faces the Chicago Bulls from now on. That’s because seemingly every time he does, an embarrassing moment happens.

Last season as a rookie, Ivey called a timeout when his Detroit Pistons didn’t have any left, and the Bulls pulled out a close win. When the teams met in Detroit again Saturday, he knocked away a pass and had nothing but the basket in front of him. The only problem was he didn’t finish his dunk, and the result was pure humiliation:

The night wasn’t all bad for Ivey though. He beat the third-quarter buzzer with a 3-pointer:

That 3 accounted for nearly half of the seven points he scored in a 118-102 Pistons win. So although the missed dunk didn’t impact the game, it still should make the next edition of Shaqtin’ a Fool.

Now in his second season, Ivey is coming off making the NBA All-Rookie Second Team after averaging 16.3 points and 5.2 assists a game. This year, he has come off the bench during his first three contests. In that time, he has a scoring average of 9.7 and an assists average of 3.3.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

10 bold preseason predictions revisited from the 2022 NBA draft

Rookie Wire offered 10 bold predictions for the 2022-23 season in October and vowed to come back to see how we did.

Back in October, Rookie Wire offered 10 bold predictions for the 2022-23 season based on the available information and vowed to come back and see how we did.

Well, the time has come to look back and review the results.

We started this exercise prior to the 2019-20 season, which was our inaugural class on Rookie Wire, and we have kept up with it each year since then. Our annual revisit of these bold predictions can serve as a fun way to provide some sort of accountability around here.

This year proved no different.

We once again hit on some of our predictions but fell well short of the mark on others. In our defense, to be fair, we were very close on several of these. We just ask that you go easy on us and don’t alert the authorities at Freezing Cold Takes about the ones we missed badly on.

Here is how we fared last season.

Takeaways: Jabari Smith Jr. brilliant again as summer Rockets blast Pistons

With an efficient 38 points and 6 assists, Jabari Smith Jr. was brilliant again as the summer #Rockets (2-0) blasted Detroit. Tari Eason and Cam Whitmore also had strong showings.

With top Houston Rockets rookie Amen Thompson sidelined by a left ankle sprain, second-year prospect Jabari Smith Jr. picked up the slack and then some in Sunday’s 113-101 rout (box score) of the Detroit Pistons in the NBA’s 2023 summer league.

After scoring a game-high 33 points in Friday’s win, punctuated by an epic buzzer-beater, the No. 3 draft pick from the 2022 first round was even better against the Pistons with 38 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists on 13-of-25 shooting (52%). Smith hit 3-of-10 from 3-point range (30%) and 9-of-10 on free throws (90%).

Smith had plenty of help, most notably from two prospects Houston (2-0) also envisions having major NBA roles in the coming years. Fellow second-year forward Tari Eason had another strong game with 26 points and 9 rebounds on 12-of-25 shooting (48%), while rookie Cam Whitmore scored an efficient 21 points on 9-of-16 shooting (56.3%) and 3-of-7 on 3-pointers (42.9%).

The Pistons (1-1) were led in defeat by second-year guard Jaden Ivey, who had 22 points and 10 assists on 9-of-15 shooting (60%). Detroit’s frontcourt featured two players with significant NBA experience: James Wiseman and Jalen Duren, which made the performances opposite them by Smith and Eason all the more impressive.

Similarly, Whitmore (No. 20 pick in 2023) held his own against Amen Thompson’s twin brother, Ausar Thompson, who was drafted by the Pistons at No. 5 last month. Thompson finished with 12 points (46.2% FG), 8 rebounds and 6 assists.

Read on for highlights, postgame interviews with players and coaches, and reaction by fans and media members to Sunday’s game. Houston returns to action Tuesday versus Oklahoma City, with tipoff at 5:30 p.m. Central and television coverage on NBA TV. All five summer-league games are being played in Las Vegas.

Notre Dame alumnus gets biggest coaching deal in NBA history

What a boatload of cash.

After being unceremoniously let go as Phoenix Suns coach, it seemed like only a matter of time before [autotag]Monty Williams[/autotag] landed on his feet. He’s landed and then some. Sources have informed Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN that the Notre Dame alumnus is agreeing to a six-year, $78 million contract to coach the Detroit Pistons. It’s the largest deal ever for an NBA coach.

During this year’s playoffs, Williams coached a team with two future Hall of Famers in Kevin Durant and Chris Paul as well as one of the NBA’s best young stars in Deandre Ayton. Now, he’ll head to the Motor City to lead a team with nowhere to go but up. The Pistons finished with the NBA’s worst record in 2022-23 but didn’t even receive a top-four pick in the draft lottery.

While Williams has his work cut out for him, he does have a few building blocks. Among them are 2021 top overall pick Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey, son of Irish women’s coach [autotag]Niele Ivey[/autotag]. Here’s hoping he gets the Pistons back to respectability before too long. The pressure certainly is on with all the money he’s about to make.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

2023 NBA All-Rookie: Paolo Banchero unanimously selected to first team

Rookie of the Year Paolo Banchero was the only unanimous first-team selection this year.

Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero, Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams and Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler headlined the NBA All-Rookie first team announced on Monday.

Banchero, who was named Rookie of the Year, was the only unanimous first-team selection, appearing on all 100 ballots from a global panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. Williams earned 99 first-team votes and Kessler garnered 95 votes.

Joining the trio of players on the first team are Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray and Indiana Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin. Murray was on 88 first-team ballots while Mathurin was on 71 in the final tally released with the announcement.

2022-23 NBA All-Rookie First Team

Player First Team Votes Second Team Votes Total Points
Paolo Banchero 100 0 200
Jalen Williams 99 1 199
Walker Kessler 95 5 195
Keegan Murray 88 9 195
Bennedict Mathurin 71 28 170

Jalen Duren (Detroit Pistons), Tari Eason (Houston Rockets), Jaden Ivey (Detroit Pistons), Jabari Smith Jr. (Houston Rockets) and Jeremy Sochan (San Antonio Spurs) were named to the All-Rookie second team.

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Pistons’ Jaden Ivey ‘wouldn’t be where he is today’ without WNBA players

Ivey respects the women who helped paved the way for him and is forever grateful for the opportunities they have provided him.

Detroit Pistons guard Jaden Ivey is no stranger to women’s basketball.

He is the son of Irish great Niele Ivey, who played five seasons in the WNBA. She was an All-American at Notre Dame and is the head women’s basketball coach at the university.

Jaden grew up with legendary players and at the 2023 ESPNW Summit, he shared what he learned in that environment along with the players who inspired him. He mentioned he wouldn’t be where he was without impactful women like Arike Ogunbowale, Skylar Diggins-Smith, Natalie Achonwa, Jewell Loyd, Jackie Young and his mother, among others.

He shared a unique memory of Ogunbowale.

I could just remember being in the gym with (Ogunbowale) and losing in 1-on-1 games. My mom can remember. I’d sit there at night crying ’cause I couldn’t even beat Arike. She would just bust my tail all the time. I really thank her for inspiring me and putting that strength in me.

Ogunbowale, who is with the Dallas Wings, was a star at Notre Dame where she helped lead the program to its second NCAA title in 2018. Ivey played against her in the gym during her time at Notre Dame.

Ivey also mentioned Diggins-Smith as an impactful woman in his life.

(Diggins-Smith) was an inspiration to a lot of kids in my area in South Bend. A lot of boys and girls looked up to her and I just look at Skylar as just an impactful woman to society because she inspired so many people from where I come from. She busted my tail, too.

Ivey was selected in the 2022 NBA draft as the fifth pick overall by the Pistons. He played college basketball at Purdue and grew up on a WNBA court before he even left the womb. His mother was pregnant with him during her rookie season in the WNBA when she started 26 of 32 games.

When his mother was hired to a coaching position at Notre Dame, young Ivey followed his mother and watched her coach future WNBA stars. Ivey respects the women who helped paved the way for him to be in the NBA and he is forever grateful for the opportunities they have provided him.

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