Tag: Spartans in the NBA

Draymond Green given $50,000 tampering fine for Devin Booker comments

Michigan State alumni Draymond Green was assessed a $50,000 fine for comments he made about Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker.

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On Friday, we talked about the controversial comments made by Michigan State alumni Draymond Green on NBA on TNT about Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker. Now, the other shoe has dropped in that story and, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, the Golden State Warriors star will be fined $50,000 for those comments.

For those who missed the original story, Draymond praised Booker on Friday and then said to “…get my man out of Phoenix.” When Ernie Johnson asked Draymond if he was tampering, Draymond simply responded: “Maybe!”

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The video quickly went viral which probably prompted the league to react. Personally, I think all these tampering rules are pretty vague and it sucks that Draymond goes on TNT to talk about the game and is fined that much money for simply speaking his mind. I would understand if he said that Booker should specifically leave Phoenix and come join him on the Warriors, but since all he did was say that Booker should leave Phoenix, I disagree with the fine.

You can watch the video of Draymond’s comments below:

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Watch: Jaren Jackson Jr. drives, spins to the basket for highlight layup

Former Michigan State big man Jaren Jackson Jr. had a nice spin move to layup highlight for the Grizzlies on Monday.

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Less than two years into his career, former Michigan State big man Jaren Jackson Jr. has already established himself as a legitimate star at the NBA level, on both ends of the court. While he has largely impressed as a shooter and rim protector, he has also clearly been working on other aspects of his game, like his ball-handling. In tonight’s match-up against the New Orleans Pelicans, Jaren Jackson Jr. had one of the highlights of the evening as he spun his way to a nice layup, flashing some impressive guard skills.

You can watch the smooth play below:

Jackson led the Memphis grizzlies with 22 points in a loss to the Pelicans.

If Jackson can add this level of finesse to his game consistently, watch out NBA.

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Jaren Jackson Jr. scores 33-points against Portland Trail Blazers in seeding game

Jaren Jackson Jr. went off against the Portland Trailblazers, scoring 33 points and making an impact all over the court.

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Former Michigan State basketball player Jaren Jackson Jr. went off in the first seeding game against the Portland Trail Blazers last night. Jackson finished the game with 33 points, six threes, three rebounds, one steal, and one block. He also shot a ridiculous 40% from three-point land while taking 15 three-point shots.

Check out a few plays courtesy of the Memphis Grizzlies Twitter account below:

Jaren Jackson Jr. is legitimately special on the basketball court. Personally, I would take Jaren Jackson Jr. over Kristaps Porzingis every day of the week. Porzingis is talented but not as sound on defense as many analysts think. Jackson, on the other hand, is a strong rim protector and can score from anywhere on the court. He will drive to the rim and dunk on you or drop devastating threes from deep.

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Three Michigan State Basketball alumni to play in NBA Bubble restart

There are currently three Michigan State players set to play in the NBA’s Bubble restart at Disney.

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After about a week of scrimmages, the NBA season is poised to full restart on Thursday, July 30th from the NBA Bubble at Walt Disney World in Florida, and there are three Michigan State Basketball alumni set to play in the upcoming games.

There are six Spartans currently on NBA rosters, but there are only 22 teams attending the Bubble’s limited season and play-in tournament, which means that three players will not be attending the Bubble. Those players are Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors, Miles Bridges of the Charlotte Hornets, and Denzel Valentine of the Chicago Bulls.

The players who will be in the Bubble are:

  • G Bryn Forbes, San Antonio Spurs
  • G Gary Harris, Denver Nuggets
  • PF/C Jaren Jackson Jr., Memphis Grizzlies

Bryn Forbes and Jaren Jackson will both be in action on Friday while Gary Harris and the Denver Nuggets will have their first game on Saturday.

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Draymond Green named No. 4 best rebounder in NCAA basketball since 2011

Andy Katz of NCAA.com named Draymond Green as the fourth-best rebounder in college basketball since 2011.

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Since Draymond Green left Michigan State in 2012, he has become known as a triple-double threat and one of the best defenders in the NBA, in addition to being a multi-time world champion with the Golden State Warriors. Before heading to the NBA, Green was a formidable big man for the Spartans, where he was named First-Team All-Big Ten in 2012. While Green’s NBA career tends to overshadow his NCAA accomplishments, MSU fans remember his amazing play for the Spartans, and so does NCAA.com’s Andy Katz. This week, Katz named Green the fourth-best rebounder in men’s college basketball since 2011.

Only Kenneth Faried, Jordan Murphy, and Ethan Happ ranked above Green on the list, which Katz released on his podcast which you can find here.

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Michigan State F Xavier Tillman Sr. to ‘test the waters’ of 2020 NBA Draft process

MSU’s star big man Xavier Tillman will test the waters of the 2020 NBA Draft while still keeping his options open.

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We know that Cassius Winston’s career at Michigan State is now over, but the big question marks were always going to be around Xavier Tillman and Aaron Henry. One of those players, Xavier Tillman Sr., announced on Tuesday that he will be testing the waters of the 2020 NBA Draft process, but will still be keeping the option open to return for his final season.

Both Tillman and Henry still have availability but both players also have plenty of buzz around their NBA Draft potential, with various mock drafts projecting them to be late first round to mid-second round draft picks.

Tillman’s versatility on both ends of the court, coupled with his innate basketball intelligence, makes him a prime target for the modern NBA. The Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year has a lot to offer an NBA team and I expect that he will find enough positive feedback in the draft process to officially declare for the draft, but time will tell.

Here is the message that Tillman shared on social media:

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Draymond Green named a finalist for 2020 U.S. Olympic Men’s Basketball Roster

Michigan State alumnus Draymond Green will try to win his second Olympic medal in Tokyo, Japan and was named a finalist for the roster.

Former Michigan State Basketball star, Golden State Warriors forward, and three-time NBA champion Draymond Green has been named as a finalist for the 2020 United States Olympic Men’s Basketball Roster. Green was part of the 2016 team who won the Gold medal in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

The team is being led by Lebron James, who has three medals in his own right (2 Gold, 1 Bronze).

The final roster, who will have the honor of representing the United States in the Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, will have 12 players, so it’s not a lock that Green will be on the team. However, as a past medal-winner, I would have to think he ends up in Tokyo.

The team will be helmed by San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich.

β€œI’m looking forward to coaching the U.S. Olympic Team, and I’m excited about the potential and possibilities this team has,” said Popovich.Β  β€œAnyone who follows international basketball knows there are many really good players from all around the world, and therefore there are many excellent national teams. International basketball has improved so much from the days of the Dream Team. The Olympics in 2020 will be a true competition, and there are many teams that will have a legitimate shot at capturing gold.”

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Former Michigan State star Miles Bridges sets new NBA career high with 31 points

Charlotte Hornets sophomore Miles Bridges is starting to establish himself as a starter in the NBA.

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Almost one month ago, I wrote a story on Charlotte Hornets sophomore and former Michigan State Basketball star Miles Bridges setting a career-high in scoring against the Los Angeles Lakers with 23 points. Tonight, Bridges set a new career-high when he dropped 31 points against the Washington Wizards.

To go along with his 31 points, Bridges also had 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and he hit three three-pointers on the night. Of course, the Hornets lost to another bottom-feeder in the East, but it’s great to see Bridges performing so well with his increased role on a Hornets team that will finish as one of the worst teams in the league.

Bridges is now averaging 11.7 points-per-game on the season to go along with 5.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists. The Hornets might suck this year, but Bridges is already establishing himself as a legitimate starter at the pro level, and as a Spartan fan I love to see it.

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