Tag: Utah Jazz

Pat Connaughton/Blake Wesley NBA Tracker: Nov. 25-Dec. 1

Both players had one good game each.

Notre Dame’s two NBA representatives didn’t play much during the past week, but both either tied or set their scoring highs for the season.

[autotag]Pat Connaughton[/autotag] saw action in exactly one game, but he made it count. In the Milwaukee Bucks’ Nov. 26 win over the Miami Heat, he scored 10 points in his second straight game, though it also was his first game in 10 days. He also set season highs with eight rebounds and two blocks while also dishing out an assist.

[autotag]Blake Wesley[/autotag] shined during the San Antonio Spurs’ Nov. 26 victory against the Utah Jazz. His 11 points were the most he’s scored in a game this season, and he also had three rebounds, four assists and two steals. He wasn’t so great the next night against the Los Angeles Lakers as he didn’t score at all while missing three field-goal attempts.

Hopefully, this past week was a sign that things are starting to turn around this season for both Connaughton and Wesley.

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Follow Geoffrey on X: @gfclark89

Pat Connaughton/Blake Wesley NBA Tracker: Nov. 18-24

Very underwhelming week for Notre Dame’s NBA reps.

[autotag]Blake Wesley[/autotag] played in two of the San Antonio Spurs’ three games over the past week. His first game, played Nov. 21 against the Utah Jazz, consisted of one made free throw and two rebounds while missing all three field-goal attempts. He found greater success Nov. 23 against the Golden State Warriors, scoring seven points, grabbing two rebounds, accumulating one assist and getting one steal. That gave him a scoring average of 4.0 for the week.

[autotag]Pat Connaughton[/autotag] apparently has fallen out of Milwaukee Bucks coach Doc Rivers’ rotation because he didn’t play at all over the past week. ClutchPoints senior NBA reporter Brett Siegel is reporting that the Bucks might be dangling Connaughton’s name in trade talks. He has one year left on his contract, and the Bucks want depth and length on the wing as part of an effort to recover from a sluggish start to the season.

Needless to say, former Notre Dame players in the NBA have had better weeks. Hopefully, this upcoming week will be one of them.

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The latest 2025 NBA mock draft from Bleacher Report has BYU star Egor Demin on the Jazz

This seems like a PERFECT fit for the Jazz if they don’t Cooper Flagg.

One of the most exciting names in college basketball is BYU freshman Egor Demin, who is off to an incredibly hot start this season.

After one of the strongest debuts of any first-year player, the 18-year-old freshman from Russia looks like one of the most promising prospects in all of college basketball. He is averaging 17.0 points and 7.5 assists per game at 6-foot-9, shooting 11-of-20 (.550) on 3-pointers as well.

Read more from Jonathan Wasserman on why this is such a good pick (via Bleacher Report):

“While the Cooper Flagg hype came built in after years of coverage and NBA accessibility, no player has generated more NBA buzz on his own so far than Egor Demin.

BYU coach Kevin Young has given the freshman an ideal role to showcase his on-ball upside, and the Russian has capitalized, looking like a legitimate 6’9″ initiator creating advantages and setting up teammates with his handle, size and passing IQ.

So far, he’s looked fluid and convincing enough for scouts to start feeling confident in his ability to continue playmaking at a high level in the NBA.

He also looks substantially further ahead as a shooter than previous jumbo playmakers like Josh Giddey, Anthony Black or even Scottie Barnes. Demin made 11 threes over his first four games. And even if the accuracy falls off, his early start and track record overseas point to clear shotmaking confidence and shooting becoming a regular part of his scoring attack.

Looking ahead, scouts will be eager to assess Demin against power-conference opponents, specifically his ability to create separation and finish inside the arc.”

Demin has not faced much competition so far this season. Among all teams ranked in the top 30, via KenPom, only five have had less difficult strength of schedule so far. But if he can keep this up, expect he will only continue this ascension on draft boards.

The Jazz could make a lot of sense for Demin to pair him with Keyonte George as their backcourt of the future. Jazz chairman Ryan Smith and CEO Danny Ainge both attended BYU and are reportedly very big donors to the university. They would likely find it thrilling to add the next great BYU star to their roster.

Another team with potential interest is the Spurs, who selected him in ESPN’s latest mock draft.

Here is our latest NBA mock draft at For The Win, where Demin goes to the lowly and injured New Orleans Pelicans.

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Cooper Flagg must join the NBA’s Eastern Conference to balance out the league

The NBA NEEDS Cooper Flagg in the Eastern Conference.

With all due respect to fans of woeful NBA teams like the Utah Jazz and Portland Trail Blazers, it’s time we have a frank conversation. And I apologize for how it will exclude your totally valid (but, to me, ultimately tertiary) needs as diehard supporters of your respective favorite teams.

The NBA’s latest truly generational draft prospect, Duke’s Cooper Flagg, must play in the Eastern Conference when he likely jumps to the league in the summer of 2025. Full stop.

There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it, either.

If we want to have a truly healthy and balanced NBA, throwing another potential franchise superstar like Flagg into an already-stacked West is a dire scenario for the league. The sheer talent disparity between the two conferences — the West has had more All-NBA players every season for 26 straight years — is already way too glaring.

The East’s embarrassingly slow start to the 2024-2025 season only confirms as much. It’s still a small sample size (less than 10 games into the year at the time of this writing), but here are some eye-opening early numbers to keep in mind if you’re one of those people who’d like to see Flagg play somewhere West of the Rocky Mountains:

  • Only two East teams, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics, currently have a winning record. That’s right. Quite literally, everyone else outside of Cleveland and Boston in the East is straddling the line at .500 or lower. Yikes.
  • Eight of the NBA’s 10 best records so far belong to Western Conference teams. Eight. EIGHT.
  • The West, itself, is winning over 70 percent of its games head-to-head with the East so far. That’s roughly a 57-win pace over an 82-game season, by the way. A real ho-hum kind of dominance.
  • The East, itself, is also being heavily dragged down by the struggling Philadelphia 76ers and Milwaukee Bucks, who were supposed to be bellwethers as conference heavyweights. From injuries and age to good old-fashioned bad luck, these two teams are instead mired at the bottom of the standings. Tough scene.

I know it’s tempting to say we’ll appreciate someone with Flagg’s unique all-around abilities wherever he plays. Which, sure. That’s part of the deal we make as sports fans. Sometimes, it’s just about sitting back and appreciating the show talented athletes can put on.

You take what you can get. I understand.

Still, this massive disparity between the NBA’s East and West simply cannot continue. Flagg and the San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama are/were considered two of the best draft prospects in the league in years. For both of them to play on Western teams in a conference where, for example, a 50-win team was the fifth seed last season (a 50-win team was the No. 2 seed in the East) would be an unmitigated disaster for competitive balance.

Western teams already tear each other apart all year. Meanwhile, the 2-3 squads fighting at the top of the East get to be on cruise control as they please. A possible superstar like Flagg going West would just make it even worse. It’s not tenable or sustainable for players or fans of Western teams. (The conference really needs more “nights off,” if you know what I mean!)

The East needs an injection of potential all-time youth and talent. Badly.

So, this is my message to fans of fledgling squads like the Washington Wizards and Toronto Raptors. I’m really rooting for you.

Go capture that Flagg.

The NBA’s interconference competitive balance might depend on it.

Kyle Filipowski scores first NBA basket in 12-point game against the Sacramento Kings

Kyle Filipowski scored his first career NBA points on Tuesday night as he put 12 on the board against the Sacramento Kings.

[autotag]Kyle Filipowski[/autotag], now a member of the Utah Jazz, scored his first career points in the NBA on Tuesday night during a game against the Sacramento Kings.

Early in the second quarter, the former Duke basketball star got the ball in the post against six-time All-Star DeMar DeRozan. The rookie took advantage of his size against the 6-foot-6 DeRozan, spinning to his left and quickly getting to the basket for an easy layup.

Filipowski didn’t stop there, either. He made five of his 10 shots from the floor, including a pair of 3-pointers, to finish with 12 points, eight rebounds, and two assists in the 113-96 loss.

Before Tuesday’s loss, Filipowski had only played nine minutes across two NBA appearances. He had two assists and a rebound between those games, only taking one shot.

Filipowski becomes the latest Blue Devil with an impressive game during the early parts of the season. Paolo Banchero, a former No. 1 overall pick, put together his first 50-point game on Monday night, and defending NBA champion Jayson Tatum dropped a 37-point double-double in his season opener.

Utah Jazz sign former Notre Dame guard Dane Goodwin

Good luck, Dane!

For the past couple of years, the only NBA representatives Notre Dame has had are [autotag]Pat Connaughton[/autotag] and [autotag]Blake Wesley[/autotag]. But we now at least have the possibility that a third name will be added to that list for the 2024-25 season.

[autotag]Dane Goodwin[/autotag], who played 14 games last season with the Sacramento Kings’ G-League affiliate in Stockton before playing two games for the Kings in this past Summer League, has signed with the Utah Jazz. This news dropped two days before the Jazz were set to start training camp.

In all likelihood, Goodwin’s signing is to provide the Jazz with enough players to evaluate over the course of camp and possibly during preseason games. Goodwin, for better or worse, hasn’t made a huge impact in his professional career so far. But the Jazz signing him should indicate he’ll at least start the season in the G-League.

Here’s hoping Goodwin does enough that actually playing in the NBA becomes more and more of a possibility.

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

Follow Geoffrey on X: @gfclark89

Jazz sign former G League Ignite forward Babacar Sanè to Exhibit 10 contract

Sanè averaged 10.6 points and 5.7 rebounds on 44.5% shooting from the field in 31 games last season with the Ignite.

Former G League Ignite forward Babacar Sanè, who went undrafted this year, signed a contract with the Utah Jazz on Wednesday, the team announced.

Sanè, who was born in Senegal, reportedly agreed to sign an Exhibit 10 contract, according to Tony Jones of The Athletic after playing the past two seasons with the Ignite. He averaged 10.6 points and 5.7 rebounds on 44.5% shooting from the field in 31 games last season.

The 6-foot-8 standout scored in double figures 18 times, including three 20-point performances. He registered three double-doubles, including a season-high 23 points and 13 rebounds on Feb. 13 in a loss to the Indiana Mad Ants.

Sanè debuted with the Jazz in summer league, averaging 5.7 points and three rebounds on 46.2% shooting from the field in three games between Salt Lake City and Las Vegas. He produced his best game on July 21 with 10 points and five rebounds.

The 20-year-old joined the Ignite in October 2022 after three years with the NBA Academy Africa. He was the fifth NBA Academy graduate to sign with Ignite, joining Efe Abogidi, Mojave King, Dyson Daniels and Princepal Singh.

Sanè will participate with the Jazz in training camp and spend next season in the G League with the Salt Lake City Stars as part of his Exhibit 10 contract. He can receive a bonus of up to $75,000 if he is waived and stays with the Stars for at least 60 days.

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Former AP Player of the Year signs two-way deal with Utah Jazz

Former Kentucky forward Oscar Tshiebwe inks two-way contract with Utah Jazz, who also signed second round pick Kyle Filipowski.

In a flurry of moves to shore up the bottom half of the roster, the Utah Jazz inked former Kentucky forward and AP Player of the Year Oscar Tshiebwe to a two-way contract on Monday.

Utah also signed 2024 second round pick and former Duke forward Kyle Filipowski, as well as former UCLA guard Johnny Juzang, to guaranteed contracts.

Tshiebwe was one of the greatest college basketball stars of the decade, spending two seasons at West Virginia before transferring to join John Calipari at Kentucky for the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons.

Tshiebwe averaged 17.4 points and 15.1 rebounds as a junior, earning Player of the Year honors, and was a consensus All-American two years in a row before going undrafted and latching on with the Indiana Pacers last year.

The 6’9 forward was outstanding in the G League, and now gets a chance to prove himself and potentially earn a standard NBA contract in Utah – although Filipowski’s guaranteed deal certainly hurts Tshiebwe’s chances.

Filipowski was also a consensus All American in college, and his fall into the second round in June was a surprising one. He showed his range and versatility during Summer League, and now will get a chance to carve out a role with the Jazz on a standard deal.

Jazz sign 32nd pick Kyle Filipowski to 4-year rookie contract

Filipowski debuted with the Jazz in summer league, averaging 11 points, six rebounds, 1.9 assists and one steal in eight games.

Former Duke forward Kyle Filipowski, the 32nd pick in the NBA draft, signed his rookie contract with the Utah Jazz on Monday, the team announced.

Filipowski was named a consensus second-team All-American last season after averaging 16.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.1 steals as a sophomore. He became the seventh Blue Devil in the past 50 years to eclipse 1,000 points in his first two seasons.

The 7-footer led the team in points, rebounds, blocks, steals, field goals (220) and free throws (112). He registered 12 20-point games, including a career-high 30 points, 13 rebounds, four assists and two blocks on Jan. 13 in a win over Georgia Tech.

Filipowski reportedly agreed to a four-year, $12 million contract, according to Bobby Marks of ESPN. The team used its remaining $3 million in cap space to sign Filipowski, who inked the largest contract by a second-round pick in the last two years.

The 20-year-old was one of five unsigned rookies and claimed one of the Jazz’s last two remaining standard contracts for next season. The team likely waited until after agreeing to a long-term extension with Lauri Markkanen before signing him.

Filipowski debuted with the Jazz in summer league, averaging 11 points, six rebounds, 1.9 assists and one steal in eight games between Salt Lake City and Las Vegas. He registered two 20-point games, including 26 points and 11 rebounds on July 11.

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Former Duke basketball star Kyle Filipowski officially signs first NBA contract

The Utah Jazz announced on Monday that second-round pick Kyle Filipowski, the former Duke basketball star, officially signed his contract.

Former Duke basketball star [autotag]Kyle Filipowski[/autotag] officially signed his first NBA contract on Monday, the Utah Jazz announced.

The Jazz took the 7-foot forward in the second round of the 2024 NBA draft. The team didn’t release the terms of the agreement.

The 2022-23 ACC Rookie of the Year surprised many in the college basketball world when he elected to return to the Blue Devils for a second season, but he certainly stepped his game up in year two. Filipowski averaged more than 16 points and eight rebounds per game as a sophomore in 2023-24, making the All-ACC First Team and earning Second Team All-American honors.

Despite ESPN Analytics thinking he had more than a 70% chance to get drafted within the first 30 picks, he needed to wait overnight before the Jazz took him off the board with the second pick of the second round.

He played eight games for the Jazz during the NBA Summer League, averaging 11.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.0 steals per game to cement his spot on the roster.

He and former Duke teammate Jared McCain actually played against each other in one Summer League game, and McCain told a story about trying to box out Filipowski for a rebound on The Brotherhood Podcast.