Tag: Orlando Magic

Gregg Popovich discusses flaw in Jeremy Sochan’s game

After the San Antonio Spurs’ loss to the Orlando Magic, Gregg Popovich spoke about one of the flaws in Jeremy Sochan’s game.

The San Antonio Spurs welcomed Paolo Banchero and the Orlando Magic to town on Wednesday night. They were looking to get back on track after dropping a rough game to the Washington Wizards. Despite taking an early lead in the first quarter, the Magic climbed back and ended up handling the Spurs in the second half.

Orlando was up by as many as 25 in the third quarter, and it looked as though they would cruise to a victory. However, the Spurs fought back in the fourth, but it just wasn’t enough, as the Magic ended up holding on to earn a 108-98 win in San Antonio.

Jeremy Sochan had a great game, but he did most of his damage in the first quarter. After the game, head coach Gregg Popovich spoke about one of the flaws in Sochan’s game.

“He goes too fast sometimes, and we’ve just got to get him to slow down,” Popovich said via ESPN. “He gets rolling and skips a few steps in there, but he’s an aggressive kind of player. I think when he learns a little bit more about pace, meaning you don’t have to be at full tilt the entire time, he’ll make some better plays.”

Sochan finished the night with 18 points, 12 rebounds, two assists, and two blocks while shooting 8-of-13 from the floor and 1-of-3 from behind the three-point line.

However, he had nine points, six rebounds, and two blocks in the first quarter alone, meaning the Magic held him at bay for the final three quarters.

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Former Vols’ NBA results for Jan. 31

A look at former Vols performed in the NBA on Wednesday.

Two former Vols competed in the NBA on Wednesday, while one did not play due to a coach’s decision.

Minnesota defeated Dallas, 121-87, at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Grant Williams started at forward for the Mavericks, recording two points, one rebound, one assist and one steal in 25 minutes. He converted 1-of-7 field goal attempts.

Chicago defeated Charlotte, 117-110, at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Rookie Julian Phillips recorded four points and one rebound in 11 minutes for the Bulls. He converted 1-of-2 field goal attempts and 2-of-2 free throw attempts.

Orlando defeated San Antonio, 108-98, at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas.

Admiral Schofield was in active for the Magic.

Would a swap sending Doug McDermott to the Orlando Magic for Gary Harris make sense for the Spurs?

We aren’t clear why San Antonio would be interested in trading one vet for another, but we have our own proposal to counter.

According to ESPN cap guru Bobby Marks, the San Antonio Spurs can go in one of two directions at the NBA’s 2024 trade deadline. One would be finding out which of their current young players fit best around rookie wunderkind Victor Wembanyama.

The other direction entails finding a new team for veterans Doug McDermott and Cedi Osman — and getting some assets back in the process to help fuel the next era of Spurs contention. Marks has a deal in mind for one of the two vets, too. He proposed swapping McDermott to the Orlando Magic for veteran wing Gary Harris and a second round pick (the worse of the Magic’s Boston Celtics and Memphis Grizzlies seconds).

We aren’t clear why San Antonio would be interested in trading one vet for another in this case.

But if it were us on the other end of the call, we would be pushing to structure a deal bringing back one of either Wendell Carter, Jr. or Moritz Wagner to put next to Wemby.

Even if it meant ponying up some additional draft capital on the Spurs part to get the deal done.

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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.

Former Vols’ NBA results for Jan. 29

A look at how former Vols performed in the NBA on Monday.

Four former Vols competed in the NBA Monday, while one did not play due to a coach’s decision.

Portland defeated Philadelphia, 130-1104, at Moda Center in Portland, Oregon.

Tobias Harris started at forward for the 76ers. He totaled nine points, four rebounds and one assist in 20 minutes.

Jaden Springer played eight minutes for Philadelphia. He recorded eight points, two rebounds and one steal.

Phoenix defeated Miami, 118-105, at Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida. Josh Richardson posted 12 points, six rebounds, two steals and one assist for the Heat in 24 minutes.

Dallas defeated Orlando, 131-129, at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. Grant Williams started at forward for the Mavericks. He had three points, two rebounds and one assist.

Admiral Schofield did not play due to a coach’s decision for the Magic.

NBA Power Rankings: Suns’ Big 3 flexing during 7-game win streak

Rookie Wire looked at the NBA through games played on Thursday and ranked each team from worst to first.

Teams around the NBA have begun the second halves of their schedules, as the season rapidly approaches the trade deadline and All-Star break next month.

The past week saw plenty of storylines unfold, from some surprising coaching changes to a trade involving the Miami Heat to a few historic performances. The dialogue further showed how entertaining the NBA can be on and off the court.

The action should only continue to heat up with less than two weeks remaining until the trade deadline on Feb. 8. Rumors are swirling around several players and teams, proving that it should once again be a busy acquisition period.

To make further sense of it all, Rookie Wire looked at the NBA and ranked each team from worst to first. We will return each week and provide our latest assessment of the best teams and those that are rising.

Former Vols’ NBA results for Jan. 22

A look at how former Vols performed in the NBA on Monday.

Three former Vols competed in the NBA Monday. One did not play due to a coach’s decision. Another was inactive.

Philadelphia defeated San Antonio, 133-123, at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Tobias Harris started at forward for the 76ers. He totaled 14 points, six assists and two rebounds in 35 minutes. Harris converted 5-of-11 field goal attempts and 4-of-4 free throw attempts.

Jaden Springer was inactive for Philadelphia.

Boston defeated Dallas, 119-110, at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.

Grant Williams recorded two points, three rebounds and two assists for the Mavericks in 18 minutes. He converted 1-of-5 field goal attempts.

Cleveland defeated Orlando, 106-99, at Kia Center in Orlando, Florida. Admiral Schofield recorded one rebound for the Magic in three minutes.

Phoenix defeated Chicago, 115-113, at Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona. Julian Phillips did not play for the Bulls due to a coach’s decision.

Analyst floats Zach LaVine trade for Orlando Magic role players, pick

Citing Orlando’s recent woes on the offensive end of the court, B/R posits LaVine as a potential spark. Should the Bulls bite?

Most of the trade buzz about potential landing spots for Chicago Bulls star guard Zach LaVine has had the UCLA alum headed to the Los Angeles Lakers (or at least, until recently) and the Atlanta Hawks in recent weeks. But what if we thought outside of the box a bit and got more creative with potential LaVine destinations?

That is exactly what Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley has done in a recent article that proposes a deal with the Orlando Magic. The swap would send LaVine to the Magic for Markelle Fultz, Gary Harris, Chuma Okeke, Jett Howard and a 2025 first-round pick ahead of the 2024 trade deadline.

Citing Orlando’s recent woes on the offensive end of the court, Buckley posits LaVine as a potential spark. “He has his shortcomings, but he’s a legitimate net-shredder who can create shots for himself and his teammates,” writes the B/R analyst.

“He might be the offensive jolt this group needs to give its young core some helpful playoff experience,” suggests Buckley. “Fultz might fill the two-way playmaking void left by the injured Lonzo Ball, Harris could be a 3-and-D option at guard, and Okeke could serve as an all-purpose stopper.”

“In the long term, Chicago would also pocket a first-round pick and a recent lottery selection (Howard, last summer’s No. 11 pick).”

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Former Vols’ NBA results for Jan. 19

A look at how former Vols performed in the NBA on Friday.

Two former Vols competed in the NBA on Friday, while two others were inactive.

Philadelphia defeated Orlando, 124-109, at Kia Center in Orlando, Florida.

Tobias Harris started at forward for the 76ers. He totaled 12 points, five rebounds, three assists, three steals and one block in 35 minutes. He converted 3-of-11 field goal attempts, 1-of-3 three-point attempts and 5-of-5 free throw attempts.

Jaden Springer was inactive for Philadelphia, while Admiral Schofield was inactive for the Magic.

Atlanta defeated Miami, 109-108, at Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida.

Josh Richardson totaled nine points and three rebounds for the Heat in 21 minutes. He converted 2-of-5 field goal attempts, 2-of-4 three-point attempts and 3-of-3 free throw attempts.

Jeremy Reper-USA TODAY Sports

NBA Power Rankings: Clippers stay hot behind Paul George’s sensational run

Rookie Wire looked at the NBA through games played on Thursday and ranked each team from worst to first.

The 2023-24 NBA season has reached the midway point of the schedule, as most teams around the league have played in at least half of their games to this point.

The league is less than three weeks away from the trade deadline on Feb. 8, but some teams are already getting a head start on their moves. Toronto stayed active this week after trading two-time All-Star Pascal Siakam to Indiana for players and picks.

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The Pacers drastically improved their chances of returning to the playoffs for the first time in four years with the acquisition of Siakam. The group now has its sights on not only breaking its playoff drought but also making a deep run this year, led by Tyrese Haliburton, Siakam and others.

To make further sense of it all, Rookie Wire looked at the NBA and ranked each team from worst to first. We will return each week and provide our latest assessment of the best teams and those that are rising.