Caleb Martin, Naji Marshall floated as potential Spurs targets

Which 3-and-D wings could the San Antonio Spurs target this offseason?

As the San Antonio Spurs look to fill out their roster around Victor Wembanyama, they need to improve at a lot of different positions. Among them is on the wing, as 3-and-D help would be ideal. Jacob Douglas of Pounding the Rock floated a new potential targets, including Caleb Martin, Naji Marshall, and a few guys in the draft.

“Free agency should have a few players who can help fill that void,” Douglas wrote. “Naji Marshall, Caleb Martin and Isaac Okoro are interesting names. In the draft, Buzelis, Holland, Zaccharie Risacher and Cody Williams could become that type of player down the line.

“As wings continue to be an important position for team building, it makes sense for the Spurs to invest some draft capital to find a high-level player at the position.”

Any of the options Douglas suggested in his article could end up being valuable members of the Spurs’ rotation.

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Patrick Williams, Desmond Bane and the players who were handed the keys at summer league

After a brief hiatus, there are a ton of reasons why the basketball world was glad to have Las Vegas Summer League back on the schedule.

After a brief hiatus, there are a ton of reasons why the basketball world was glad to have Las Vegas Summer League back on the schedule.

While summer league was unfortunately canceled in 2020, the even took place once again this year. Fans have already seen star rookies such as Cade Cunningham and Jalen Green make their pro debuts. They have also seen LiAngelo Ball play particularly well for the Charlotte Hornets.

But as noted by Derek Murray, one of the main benefits of summer league is that NBA teams can allow their younger role players to get more reps on the ball. Players who are typically off-ball shooters or slashers may get the nod to initiate offense for their squad.

Below, we have outlined some of the players around the league who have made the most of their opportunity as the primary creator for their teams in summer league action.

Although these players may not be afforded such looks during NBA action because they’re surrounded by more star power during the regular season, it is incredibly helpful for their long-term development and gives teams a sense of what these players can eventually become.

Note that all player roles are defined by their play-type usage based on the offensive archetype definitions provided by BBall-Index.com. All stats are pulled from Synergy Sports Tech unless specifically noted otherwise.

Naji Marshall goes off for career-high as Pelicans lose to Warriors

Marshall became the sixth Pelicans rookie to register at least three double-doubles in a season on Friday.

On Friday, New Orleans Pelicans rookie Naji Marshall produced a career-high in points and rebounds in just his ninth start of the season during a loss to the Golden State Warriors.

Marshall recorded 20 points, 13 rebounds and three assists in 36 minutes of work during the 125-122 loss for his third career double-double. He became just the sixth rookie in Pelicans history to register at least three double-doubles in a season.

The undrafted rookie has earned the start in each of his five games with the Pelicans, averaging 12.2 points and 7.2 rebounds during that stretch. The recent surge by Marshall is his best of the season after playing sparingly prior to the month of April.

Marshall entered the rotation on April 2 and has given the Pelicans some strong performances. Since entering the rotation, Marshall has scored in double figures 11 times and is averaging 9.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 24 games.

Given his strong play, the Pelicans rewarded Marshall with a three-year contract, which is fully guaranteed for the next three seasons. His emergence has given the team a strong boost in the lineup and he will be looking to build on that next season.

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

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Report: Pelicans, Naji Marshall agree to three-year contract

Marshall recently emerged as a key rotational player, averaging 8.5 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists in April.

On Thursday, it was reported by Shams Charania of The Athletic that the New Orleans Pelicans will sign rookie Naji Marshall to a three-year, $5.3 million contract.

The contract is reportedly fully guaranteed through the 2022-23 season.

Marshall, who signed a two-way contract after going undrafted last year, turned in a strong month of April with the Pelicans after playing sparingly previously. In 16 games, Marshall averaged 8.5 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists on 37.5% shooting from 3-point range.

Since entering the rotation, Marshall has scored in double figures seven times with his best performance coming April 16 when he produced 16 points, 11 rebounds and six assists.

Marshall has become one of the Pelicans’ best defenders, and he has even drawn the task of guarding the opposition’s top player. His ability at both ends of the court has given head coach Stan Van Gundy and the Pelicans the luxury of keeping him on the floor late in games.

Given his strong play, speculation began to swirl that Marshall would eventually be signed to a standard contract. Last month, John Hollinger of The Athletic wrote the Pelicans could sign Marshall toward the end of the season and still remain under the luxury tax.

The emergence of Marshall this season has been a positive for the Pelicans. They certainly value his skill set on the court and believe he can be a valuable piece moving forward.

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

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Stan Van Gundy explains benching of Lonzo Ball in overtime loss vs. Wizards

Lonzo Ball’s return forced Stan Van Gundy into some interesting decisions to close Friday’s game for the Pelicans against the Wizards.

The New Orleans Pelicans suffered another frustrating and disappointing loss on Friday, blowing a nine-point fourth-quarter lead before falling in overtime to the Wizards. Given the growing importance of each contest as the calendar ticks closer and closer to season’s end, losses like Friday’s hold more and more weight as the Pelicans fight for a playoff spot.

The increased importance of the games increases the scrutiny around the losses. Against Washington, Naji Marshall continued his breakout stretch of games, looking the third-best Pelican on the court for much of the night behind the team’s two All-Stars in Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram.

However, it was Eric Bledsoe and Lonzo Ball that closed regulation only for Ball to sit the bench in overtime for Marshall. After the game, head coach Stan Van Gundy explained the reasoning for his decisions in closing backcourts in regulation and the extra session.

“Well, I mean, I go back with (Ball) and he had five more minutes left to play,” Van Gundy said of the fourth quarter. “And Naji had been on the court a long time. He had been out there since the seven-minute mark of the third quarter, so he had been out there for 12 straight minutes. (I was) just trying to get fresh people in there. I didn’t think Lonzo hurt us at all. He played good defense.

“Maybe I should have had Naji back in there. I thought Bledsoe was defending Westbrook pretty well and doing a good job helping. But it’s certainly worth a question and possibly a criticism.”

As Van Gundy noted, Marshall came on for Ball at the 7:22 mark of the third quarter. He did not come off the court until the 4:38 mark of the fourth quarter when Ball returned, a span of 14:44 consecutive minutes played.

New Orleans has been limited in its guard options with injuries to Lonzo Ball, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Josh Hart. While Ball did return on Friday from injury, he was under a minutes restriction. While Van Gundy didn’t specify exactly what the minutes restriction was, given his minutes played and his comments after the game, that number was 20 minutes.

After regulation, which included Ball getting a stop on Bradley Beal to force overtime, he sat at 19:46, effectively ending his night and bringing Marshall back onto the court for the extra session.

Defensively, Marshall and Ball combined to frustrate Beal much of the night. According to NBA’s Matchup data, Beal shot 2-for-5 against Marshall with six total points and 1-for-4 against Beal with two total points. Beal scored eight points against Bledsoe on the night, the most points scored against any one Pelicans defender.

Comparatively, Russell Westbrook shot 7-of-14 for 17 points against Bledsoe while Marshall and Ball held him to six points combined.

While Friday’s decision was largely taken out of his hands given Ball’s minutes restriction, Van Gundy will have a far more interesting decision when it comes to his guard rotation in the coming games.

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Pelicans’ Naji Marshall registers first career double-double in loss

Marshall produced yet another career outing on Friday, and it resulted in his first double-double with the Pelicans.

With the New Orleans Pelicans dealing with injury concerns, Naji Marshall has been called upon heavily recently and the rookie turned in yet another strong outing on Friday during a loss to the Washington Wizards.

Marshall produced a career-high 16 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and two steals in the 117-115 loss in overtime. He converted on 4-of-10 shots from the field, including 2-of-5 from 3-point range, while he finished a team-high plus-15 on the court.

The Pelicans put an emphasis on rebounding heading into the contest and Marshall excelled in that area. With strong rebounders in Russell Westbrook and Daniel Gafford on the Wizards, Marshall knew grabbing boards would be important and that resulted in his best game to date.

The performance is yet another example of his confidence growing each game.

“I think in the last interview I said I’m getting more and more comfortable every game,” Marshall said. “Just like today, it’s showing out there. I’m just continuing to get more and more comfortable. I’m pretty confident and my teammates are even more confident in me, which gives me the ultimate confidence at the end of the day just to be myself and play my game.”

Marshall has given the Pelicans a shot of energy since entering the rotation on April 2. He has been praised by head coach Stan Van Gundy for the effort he brings off the bench and that was once again on display in the loss to the Wizards.

Despite not seeing the court much prior to this month, Marshall stayed ready for his opportunity and has taken full advantage of it. His recent run likely ensured his place in the rotation over the rest of the season as the Pelicans attempt to make a run toward the playoffs.

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

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Pelicans’ Josh Hart reacts to Naji Marshall scoring a career-high

Just two nights after a career night, Naji Marshall responded on Sunday with his best game of the season.

Just two nights after scoring a career-high nine points, Naji Marshall responded on Sunday with his best performance of the season to help the New Orleans Pelicans defeat the Houston Rockets.

Marshall produced a career-high 12 points, five assists, four rebounds and one blocked shot in nearly 24 minutes of work in the 122-115 victory. He finished the contest by shooting 3-of-6 from the field with one made 3-pointer.

With the Pelicans dealing with several injuries to key players, including Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram, the team has turned to Marshall over the last two games. He earned the start on Friday, while he came off the bench on Sunday.

The undrafted forward from Xavier came up with a few big plays late in the game to help the Pelicans pull away from the Rockets. He proved to be very successful getting to the line, converting on 5-of-7 attempts, while converting on a couple of difficult drives.

The performance by Marshall helped give the Pelicans a needed spark off the bench with just nine players active. His outing earned a bit of praise from teammate Josh Hart, who was among those that did not play due to a thumb injury.

Following his recent play, Marshall likely earned himself a bit more playing time moving forward. He has played sparingly this season, with Sunday being only his ninth appearance, but he has given the Pelicans some nice contributions recently.

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

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2020 NBA Draft Big Board 5.0: Final update ranking Top 100 prospects

After numerous delays and postponements, front offices and draftniks have had more time to analyze the 2020 NBA draft than any previous year.

After numerous delays and postponements, front offices and draftniks have had more time to analyze the 2020 NBA draft than any previous year.

Originally scheduled for June, the ongoing pandemic pushed the big night back by five months. While this may cause some teams to overthink their decisions, it gave analysts plenty of time to study all of the top prospects eligible in this class.

This year, players had to participate in a mostly virtual pre-draft process. On the bright side, this meant that teams had the opportunity to interview more candidates than ever before.

However, the number of in-person visits were incredibly limited due to the restrictive parameters set by the league. Similarly, the NBA draft combine was conducted without the typical scrimmages where players can separate themselves from the others with impressive on-court performances.

Overall, the players that stood out in this pre-draft process had a different path to recognition than any other year. College basketball players did not have the opportunity to showcase themselves during March Madness. The nation’s top seniors did not get to participate in the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament.

As such, executives will rely mostly on the existing game footage as well as the intel they gathered during their conversations with the prospects. We also depended on similar strategies, getting access to one-on-one interviews with more than three dozen prospects and exchanging our thoughts with various scouts across the league.

This helped us put together our final big board, looking at the Top 100 players ranked on their potential to make a difference for teams in the NBA.

Relevant statistics were pulled from Synergy Sports Tech, Bart-Torvik, KenPom, Open Look Analytics and RealGM. Note that the age listed for each player references how old they will be on the night of the draft.

2020 NBA aggregate mock draft 8.0: Draft day ranges for top prospects

The 2020 NBA draft is fairly unpredictable and prospects have wider ranges in where they could get selected when it is all said and done. 

The 2020 NBA draft is fairly unpredictable and prospects have wider ranges in where they could get selected when it is all said and done.

We looked at mock drafts from NBADraft.net, ESPN, The Athletic, Bleacher Report, CBS Sports, The Ringer, Stadium, SI.com, USA TODAY Sports Media Group’s Rookie Wire, USA Today and Yahoo to give us a more clear understanding of consensus rankings and projections.

This also provided context for realistic high-end and low-end predictions for the players most often included in mock drafts.

Please note that the range included for each player is not based on our own reporting or intel and it only reflects the data pulled from the various mock drafts.

The full list of our latest aggregate mock draft rankings can be found here. HoopsHype’s Alberto de Roa contributed research to this report.

2020 NBA aggregate mock draft 8.0: Draft day ranges for top prospects

The 2020 NBA draft is fairly unpredictable and prospects have wider ranges in where they could get selected when it is all said and done. 

The 2020 NBA draft is fairly unpredictable and prospects have wider ranges in where they could get selected when it is all said and done.

We looked at mock drafts from NBADraft.net, ESPN, The Athletic, Bleacher Report, CBS Sports, The Ringer, Stadium, SI.com, USA TODAY Sports Media Group’s Rookie Wire, USA Today and Yahoo to give us a more clear understanding of consensus rankings and projections.

This also provided context for realistic high-end and low-end predictions for the players most often included in mock drafts.

Please note that the range included for each player is not based on our own reporting or intel and it only reflects the data pulled from the various mock drafts.

The full list of our latest aggregate mock draft rankings can be found here. HoopsHype’s Alberto de Roa contributed research to this report.