Tag: Toronto Raptors

Raptors’ Darko Rajakovic reveals offseason areas of focus for Gradey Dick

The 13th pick had an up and down season, but the team believes he finished off the year strongly.

Gradey Dick experienced the typical rookie ups and downs this season with the Toronto Raptors, but coach Darko Rajakovic believed the 13th pick finished the year strongly.

Dick spent much of the first half of the season with the Raptors 905 in the G League. The organization believed it was best that Dick saw consistent playing time with the 905 to get him up to speed to contribute nightly in the NBA.

He eventually joined the rotation on Jan. 20 and remained with Toronto for the duration of the season as the Raptors prioritized playing time for him. The results were mixed, but Rajakovic saw improvement from Dick as the season progressed.

The kid has an amazing mentality to bring it every day and every night. He is putting a lot of work in. He is very detail-oriented. He is always asking for more information on what he can do better and how he can execute better. I think that he improved quite a bit on the defensive end. My overall assessment of Grady is that he did an outstanding job in Year 1 and that he has a lot more work to do going into the future. He needs to work on his body, get stronger and gain more experience — all of that.

Dick finished the year averaging 8.5 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.1 assists on 36.5% shooting from 3-point range in 60 games. He made 17 starts and became the third teenager in franchise history to do so on Nov. 15 (19 years, 360 days).

He put up his best stretch to close the season, averaging 13.5 points and 2.7 rebounds over his last 15 games. He scored in double figures in seven straight games in that span, including a career-high 24 points and four rebounds on April 10.

Dick showed glimpses of the type of production he can provide nightly in the future. The organization has been impressed with his work ethic and ability on the court and will look to tap into his potential further next year and beyond.

Note: Sharif Phillips-Keaton of Nets Wire contributed to this story

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No regrets: Fred VanVleet empowered by leadership role with resurgent Rockets

“I just felt empowered and honored that I was the guy who was thought of to help lead this ship in the right direction,” Fred VanVleet says of his first Rockets season.

After spending his first seven years in the NBA with the Raptors, guard Fred VanVleet decided it was time for a change. He knew he was an asset to the team, having worked his way from a role player to an NBA All-Star during his tenure in Toronto.

The Raptors’ organization wanted him to be an intricate part of helping lead them back to success, as he had done as a reserve player when the Raptors won the NBA Finals in 2019.

Yet, the former undrafted player out of Wichita State declined his $22.8-million player option for the 2023-24 season and tested the free agent market in the 2023 offseason. He was not on the market for long. The Rockets made him the highest-paid undrafted player in the NBA history with a three-year, $130-million contract.

When paired with newly hired head coach Ime Udoka, whom VanVleet respected after competing versus the Boston Celtics when Udoka led them to the 2022 NBA Finals, VanVleet knew Houston was serious about turning things around after three tumultuous years resulting in an average win total of under 20 per season.

“From Day 1,” VanVleet said when asked when he knew he had made the right decision to join the Rockets.

“Talking to coach (Udoka), brainstorming and putting our minds together on what we wanted this thing to be and what we wanted it to look like, I just felt empowered and honored that I was the guy who was thought of to help lead this ship in the right direction.”

His floor leadership proved valuable to young players Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun and Jabari Smith Jr.. He helped lead the Rockets to a non-losing season (41-41) for the first time in four years. Even though Houston missed its goal of advancing to the postseason, VanVleet is happy about the progress made on and off the court.

“We fell short of our goal; I want to make that clear,” VanVleet said during his exit interview after Sunday’s win over the Clippers in Los Angeles. As a veteran, VanVleet was held out of Houston’s final two games after pouring in a combined 79 points on elite efficiency during the two previous games (at Utah and home versus Orlando).

“We had the playoffs in our sight, and we fell short of that, but we made tremendous progress,” he said. “Especially if you are going to go back to where things were the past few years. To be able to come and turn this thing around or get it going in the right direction, it has been a great accomplishment so far, but not where we want to be.”

VanVleet had a career season, dishing 8.1 assists per game to rank No. 7 in the NBA in that category. In 24 of his 73 starts, VanVleet finished with 10 or more assists, including a season-high total of 17.

Another key attribute was VanVleet’s inability to turn over the ball, which the Rockets struggled with before his arrival. His 1.73 turnovers per game was the lowest he has had as a starter.

“He has been a very vital piece to us putting this thing together for the future,” Udoka said of VanVleet. “We just have to keep moving in the right direction, if we want to take that next step.”

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Nets’ Kevin Ollie discusses Dennis Schroder’s leadership ability

Prior to Wednesday’s game against the Toronto Raptors, Brooklyn Nets interim head coach Kevin Ollie spoke on Dennis Schroder’s leadership.

NEW YORK — Brooklyn Nets guard Dennis Schroder has been a welcomed addition to the team ever since he came to Brooklyn from the Toronto Raptors in a trade deadline deal. Not only has Schroder played well for a Nets team that needed his production at the lead guard spot, but he contributed to a team in another way as well.

“Yeah, he was like a leader right when he got in,” Nets interim head coach Kevin Ollie said prior to Wednesday’s matchup against the Toronto Raptors. Schroder is averaging 14.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game while shooting 42.6% from the field and 42.1% from three-point range during his time in Brooklyn, but he’s bringing his decade worth of experience in the NBA.

“I think he brings it like a championship mentality,” Ollie explained. “Going on that (Western Conference Finals) run with the (Los Angeles) Lakers last year then doing what he did in the world cup with Germany and winning gold, he just has a natural ability to lead, ability to win.”

There have been plenty of instances this season where Schroder has pulled a player aside or has had long conversations with other rotation players on the team in an effort to figure something out moving forward. Schroder has one more season left on his contract, he’ll be paid a little more than $13 million, and the Nets will be happy to have his services.

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Nets’ Noah Clowney discusses how G League prepared him for his moment

After Wednesday’s 106-102 win over the Toronto Raptors, Brooklyn Nets rookie Noah Clowney spoke on how the G League prepared him to play.

NEW YORK — Brooklyn Nets rookie Noah Clowney has burst onto the scene with some huge games for Brooklyn, playoff implications or not. With Clowney’s latest outing, he is not only endearing himself amongst Nets fans, but is also making history at the same time.

“They just kept trying to lay the ball up and I kept blocking them,” Clowney said after Wednesday’s 106-102 win over the Toronto Raptors. Clowney put up 10 points and seven rebounds, but where he really made his mark in this contest was with his seven blocks and he worked well in tandem with center Nic Claxton to protect the rim.

“G League was good for me, though,” Clowney said in response to whether his recent performances have been surprising him given how much time he spent with Long Island in the first half of the season. “I enjoyed it. It was good for my confidence as well. So, sometimes I wanted to be up here, but then, other times it was like, no, I know this is good for me.”

What is clear is that whatever Clowney has been doing prior to the past two weeks has prepared him for the extended minutes that he’s getting now that the Nets are not in contention for any kind of postseason play. That isn’t stopping him from sharing what he can do as long as he’s able and is on the floor in the right spot to make things happen.

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Nets full injury report for Wednesday’s tilt against Raptors

Here is the Brooklyn Nets’ full injury report for Wednesday’s matchup against the Toronto Raptors.

The Brooklyn Nets have three games remaining on their 2023-24 season before everyone within the organization heads back home to begin their offseason following a disappointing season. As this season comes to a close for Brooklyn, they will be dealing with a longer-than-normal injury report due to the wear-and-tear of a long season.

In the Nets’ injury report ahead of Wednesday’s matchup against the Toronto Raptors, Brooklyn has one of the lengthier lists that they’ve had this season, starting with who is out. Forward Dorian Finney-Smith (left knee effusion), Two-Way forward Jaylen Martin (left ankle sprain), and backup guard Dennis Smith Jr. (right hip synovitis) will all miss Wednesday’s contest vs. the Raptors.

Finney-Smith missed Sunday’s 107-77 loss to the Sacramento Kings with his knee issue while Smith has missed seven of the past eight games with the inflammation in his right hip. Martin has been relegated to the Nets’ G League affiliate, the Long Island Nets, ever since he signed his Two-Way contract with Brooklyn in February.

Moving on, center Nic Claxton (left ankle sprain), forward Cam Johnson (left big toe sprain), and Two-Way guard Jacob Gilyard (left hip contusion) are listed as probable for Wednesday’s tilt against Toronto. Claxton missed Sunday’s loss to the Kings after twisting his ankle in Saturday’s 113-103 win over the Detroit Pistons.

Johnson has been dealing with his toe ailment for awhile now and as such, he has missed six of the past eight games as the team is being cautious with him given the amount of injuries he has suffered this season.

Gilyard, similar to Martin, has spent most of his time in Long Island since coming to Brooklyn in March, but he has played in two games for Brooklyn when the team had been missing too many ball-handlers due to injuries.

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Watch: Jaxson Hayes goes between the legs for showtime dunk

In the Lakers’ blowout win over the Raptors on Tuesday, Jaxson Hayes converted one of the team’s best dunks of the season.

The Los Angeles Lakers are starting to heat up. On Tuesday, they rolled the Toronto Raptors, 128-111, to get their ninth win in their last 12 games. While they’re still in ninth place in the Western Conference, they seem to be building the type of momentum teams need to have going into the postseason.

Tuesday’s game wasn’t close for long. Los Angeles started to take control late in the first quarter, and a very strong third quarter, in which it outscored the Raptors 36-21, put the game out of reach.

With lots of garbage time, Lakers backup center Jaxson Hayes was on the court for 19 minutes. On one play, he got out on the front end of a fast break, and he decided to have some fun by performing a scintillating dunk where he put the basketball between his legs.

Hayes finished the game with seven points, seven rebounds and two assists. With Christian Wood likely out for the season, Hayes has stepped up in a satisfactory manner as L.A.’s only real backup center.

Spurs’ Wembanyama, Hornets’ Miller named rookies of the month for third straight time

Victor Wembanyama and Brandon Miller for the third straight time have been named the Rookies of the Month for March.

San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama and Charlotte Hornets forward Brandon Miller were named the NBA Western and Eastern Conference rookies of the month, respectively, for the third straight time.

Wembanyama became the first Spurs rookie to win three months in a row since Tim Duncan after averaging 23.2 points, 11.7 rebounds, 3.8 blocks and 1.2 steals in 12 games. He led all rookies in scoring, rebounding and blocks in March.

Miller averaged 18.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 14 games, becoming the fifth player in franchise history to win three times. He was second among rookies in scoring and led all first-year players in 3-pointers (42).

Wembanyama registered five 30-point games, the most by a rookie in a calendar month since LeBron James in December 2003. He produced a career-high 40 points and 20 rebounds on March 29, becoming the first rookie since Shaquille O’Neal in 1993 to reach that mark.

Miller was the third-fastest Hornets rookie to surpass 1,000 career points after reaching that mark on March 15 (60 games). He later registered his third 30-point game of the season after recording 31 points with a career-high seven 3s on March 27.

Utah Jazz guard Keyonte George, Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren, Memphis Grizzlies forward GG Jackson II and Houston Rockets guard Amen Thompson were also nominated for the award from the West. Toronto Raptors guard Gradey Dick, Miami Heat guard Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Hornets forward Vasilije Micić were also nominated in the East.

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Filipowski, McCain both go top 20 in ESPN’s post-Elite Eight mock draft

ESPN released a new NBA mock draft after the Elite Eight, and the Blue Devils had two players drafted in the top 20.

ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo released an updated NBA mock draft on Monday morning in light of the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games.

The two analysts think Duke’s two stars, All-American 7-footer Kyle Filipowski and South All-Region Team member Jared McCain, both made the top 20 picks in the projections.

Filipowski went 16th overall to the Phoenix Suns after he averaged 16.4 points and 8.3 rebounds in his sophomore season. McCain went 19th overall to the Toronto Raptors after he averaged 21.0 points and 5.8 rebounds per game during the four-game March Madness run.

The two players have gotten lottery hype, Filipowski due to his combination of size, passing ability (2.8 assists per game), and speed, and McCain because of his shooting prowess.

Despite the mock draft being two full rounds, no other Blue Devils made the 58 picks that Givony and Woo built out.

LeBron James, Darvin Ham on Lakers’ lack of energy versus the Pacers

After the Lakers lost to the Pacers on Friday, LeBron James and Darvin Ham admitted the team simply didn’t have its usual pop.

Over the last couple of seasons, every time it seemed the Los Angeles Lakers were building positive momentum, they found a way to stop it.

They took a five-game winning streak into the Midwest on Friday and took on the Indiana Pacers, a team they had defeated fairly easily in two previous meetings this season. But after scoring a season-high 150 points on Sunday, they could only muster a season-worst 90 points and lost by 19.

Los Angeles couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn from 3-point range, and it only scored 39 second-half points after trailing by just five at halftime.

There was nothing necessarily wrong with the team’s effort. But something was simply missing, and LeBron James said it simply didn’t have the same energy in its third game in four nights.

Head coach Darvin Ham seemed to agree while reiterating the importance of the Lakers playing up-tempo basketball, something they didn’t consistently do on Friday.

The Lakers’ next three games will be against sub-.500 opponents in the Brooklyn Nets, Toronto Raptors and Washington Wizards, but none of them will be easy. The Nets defeated them easily in January, while the Raptors and Wizards gave them all they could handle before losing by a combined four points.

Nets’ Kevin Ollie gives update on Cam Thomas’ back issue

After Monday’s 96-88 win at the Toronto Raptors, Brooklyn Nets interim head coach Kevin Ollie gave an update on Cam Thomas’ back issue.

The Brooklyn Nets are fighting against the odds to get past the Atlanta Hawks for the 10th and final seed in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament. While it’s unlikely that Brooklyn will be able to get into the play-in tournament because of the gap between them and the Hawks, the Nets took care of business at the Toronto Raptors.

The Nets beat the Raptors on Monday 96-88, but it took some doing despite the fact that Toronto was missing a significant number of their better players. Brooklyn was dealing with some injuries of their own, including the late scratch of super-scoring guard Cam Thomas shortly before tip-off due to lower back tightness, per Brian Lewis of the New York Post.

What made Thomas’ absence surprising was because he was not on the injury report at any point leading up to the game so for him to be ruled out, something seemed to happen during the pregame warmups. Nets interim head coach Kevin Ollie addressed Thomas’ late scratch after the win and his update on Thomas was mostly encouraging.

Ollie said that Thomas suffered back spasms during the pregame warmups and that’s why he was ruled out for the contest. Ollie also said that he isn’t sure if Thomas will be able to go for Wednesday’s game at the Washington Wizards yet, but that the team will do what it can to make Thomas’ back more comfortable by “giving him a couple extra pillows” as he recovers.

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