Tag: Utah Jazz

Danny Ainge confirms Jazz rookies will play in summer league

Danny Ainge confirmed this week that Taylor Hendricks, Keyonte George and Brice Sensabaugh will suit up in summer league.

Utah Jazz CEO Danny Ainge confirmed this week that Taylor Hendricks, Keyonte George and Brice Sensabaugh will be among the players to suit up for the team in summer league.

The Jazz introduced the trio this season after drafting them in the first round of last year’s draft. They each contributed at various times throughout the year with the Jazz, and a couple of them even saw time in the G League with the Salt Lake City Stars.

The organization has formulated an offseason plan for them to take the next step in their development. The upcoming summer will require plenty of work on and off the court, Ainge said, but the players appear ready for the challenge.

We’ve organized plans for them for the whole summer. I think they’re excited about it but it is going to be tough. It is going to be a lot of work. They will play in the summer league, assuming they’re healthy and still doing well. We plan on them playing in the summer league, along with whatever draft picks we have, Darius Bazley and Kenny Lofton. Those guys are in our plans and will be with us throughout the summer.

Hendricks, the ninth pick, averaged 7.3 points and 4.6 rebounds on 37.9% shooting from 3-point range in 40 appearances. He joined the rotation from the G League just before the All-Star break and played a large role with the team down the stretch.

George emerged as the player most ready to contribute, averaging 13 points, 4.4 assists and 2.8 rebounds in 75 games. The 16th pick finished sixth in scoring among first-year players and is a strong choice to be named to the NBA All-Rookie first team.

Sensabaugh spent most of the season in the G League, though played 32 games with the Jazz. He produced his best stretch at the end of the season, averaging 13.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists on 43.2% shooting from 3-point range over the last eight games.

Jazz coach Will Hardy gave Hendricks and Sensabaugh a larger role down the stretch with mounting injuries and the season out of reach. They offered a glimpse of what they can bring nightly and will now head into what projects will be a big summer for their future

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Report: Avery Bradley joining Utah Jazz front office

Bradley will join the Utah Jazz front office helmed by Jazz team president Danny Ainge, who drafted Bradley for the Celtics.

Former Boston Celtics shooting guard Avery Bradley is making the leap to the other side of the clipboard with an old friend from his days with the Celtics, according to recent reporting from Deseret News’ Sarah Todd. Bradley will join the Utah Jazz front office helmed by Jazz team president Danny Ainge, who drafted Bradley for the Celtics.

The former Boston shooting guard will be Utah’s new vice president of player development, and has been around the team since at least December, per Todd. “Avery Bradley is somebody that I’ve developed a relationship with, and he obviously played for Danny (Ainge). He’s somebody that wanted to come spend some time and see what we’ve got going on,” said Jazz head coach Will Hardy at that time.

“It’s good to have him in the gym hanging out with the guys and hanging out with the coaching staff,” added Hardy. “It’s good to have him in the gym hanging out with the guys and hanging out with the coaching staff.”

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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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Devin Vassell breaks down offensive process after Spurs win over Jazz

After the San Antonio Spurs’ win over the Utah Jazz, Devin Vassell broke down his offensive process.

On Wednesday night, the San Antonio Spurs played their first road game in over two weeks. They enjoyed a nice homestand capped off by a win over the Phoenix Suns, and they were able to keep up that momentum on the road. They took down the Utah Jazz by a score of 118-111 as Victor Wembanyama reentered the lineup after a one-game absence.

However, in a nice change of pace, Wembanyama wasn’t the star of the show on Wednesday. Instead, it was Devin Vassell, who dropped a team-high 31 points against the Jazz. The fourth-year wing completely dominated the offensive end of the floor.

After the game, the fourth-year wing spoke about his process. (H/t Matthew Coles of MySA)

“Get downhill, get to my spots, pick them apart,” Vassell said. “If they’re trapping me, I can hit the short roll or skip or whatever the pass is, and they’ve been knocking down shots.”

In addition to his 31 points, Vassell also added four rebounds, six assists, and one steal to his totals. He shot 12-of-20 from the floor and 4-of-8 from behind the three-point line.

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Top takeaways from San Antonio Spurs win over Utah Jazz

Some of the top takeaways from the San Antonio Spurs’ 118-111 win over the Utah Jazz.

After a big-time, Victor Wembanyama-less win over the Phoenix Suns on Monday night, they won their second straight game on Wednesday. The Spurs took down former San Antonio assistant Will Hardy and his Utah Jazz at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City. Wembanyama returned and helped lead the Spurs to victory.

However, it was actually Devin Vassell who led the charge against the Jazz, as the fourth-year wing dropped an impressive 31 points. Meanwhile, Julian Champagnie, Malaki Branham, and Jeremy Sochan each put up 17 points as well. It was a well-rounded, team-oriented performance from a young and hungry Spurs squad.

The Locked On Spurs podcast discussed the contest in a recent episode, revealing some of the top takeaways from the victory.

In the episode, host Jeff Garica also spoke with Dr. Ryan McCorkle about Zach Collins’ concussion and how Wembanyama can focus on prioritizing his health throughout the course of the offseason.

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Gregg Popovich shows love to Malaki Branham after Spurs win over Jazz

Aftre the San Antonio Spurs’ win over the Utah Jazz, Gregg Popovich praised Malaki Branham.

The San Antonio Spurs won their second game in a row on Wednesday night, as they took down the Utah Jazz by a store of 118-111. Devin Vassell led the way with 31 points and Victor Wembanyama returned to the lineup, playing well against the Jazz, too. But for as great as Vassell looked, the Spurs won as a team.

Four of the five starters for the Spurs finished with 15 or more points, and the only one who didn’t, Tre Jones, dished out 10 assists in the game. In addition, Malaki Branham also added 17 points off the bench. He earned some serious praise from head coach Gregg Popovich after the win in Utah.

After the game, Popovich said that Branham’s scoring punch helped lift the Spurs up. (H/t Jeremy Brener of Inside the Spurs)

“We didn’t shoot as well in the second half, but we didn’t turn it over like we did in the first half,” Popovich said. “Malaki came in and got three or four buckets. We needed to score. We’re having a tough time, so he deserves a lot of credit for keeping us going offensively, and overall, the defense again was good.”

Branham finished the game with 17 points while shooting 7-of-11 from the floor and 3-of-5 from beyond the three-point arc.

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Sidy Cissoko shares appreciation for Spurs support at G League game

The San Antonio Spurs went to support their G League teammates on Tuesday night in Utah, and Sidy Cissoko appreciated it.

The San Antonio Spurs picked up a win over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night, defeating Gregg Popovich’s former assistant coach Will Hardy by a score of 118-111. Devin Vassell’s 31 points and Victor Wembanyama’s return to action after a one-game absence, they brought home their second straight victory.

But that’s not where their time in Utah began. While they could have stayed in and prepared for their game against the Jazz, they went out to Salt Lake City to support their teammates on Tuesday night. Keldon Johnson, Jeremy Sochan, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Malaki Branham, Blake Wesley, and Julian Champagnie went to watch the Austin Spurs take on the Salt Lake City Stars in a G League game.

After the game, rookie Sidy Cissoko spoke about how much he appreciated the support. (H/t Tom Osborn of the San Antonio Express-News)

“I appreciate them showing us some love,” Cissoko said. “I love them. We are brothers. We had a tough game and we are trying to make the playoffs, so they did a great job to support us.”

Against the Stars, Cissoko put up 22 points, five rebounds, and two assists while shooting 9-of-21 from the field and 2-of-7 from distance.

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Devin Vassell says he works on crazy three from Spurs win over Jazz

Devin Vassell said that he works on the crazy three he hit in the San Antonio Spurs’ win over the Utah Jazz.

The San Antonio Spurs took on the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night, picking up their second win in a row following a victory over the Phoenix Suns. They beat the Jazz by a score of 118-111, getting Victor Wembanyama back in the lineup after he missed their win over Phoenix. However, it was Devin Vassell who propelled San Antonio to victory.

Vassell had a monster night to the point where he was even hitting some wild shots throughout the course of the night. The craziest of which was a one-legged, fadeaway three in the corner with just seconds left in the shot clock at the end of the second quarter.

After the game, however, Vassell said that he works on that shot. (H/t Tom Osborn of the San Antonio Express-News)

“I actually work on that a lot,” Vassell said. “It might sound cliché, but I work on a lot of crazy shots. That’s why when people say I shoot some crazy shots, it’s because I shoot and work on a lot of crazy shots. At least one finally went in.”

Vassell finished the game with 31 points, leading the charge for the Spurs.

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Devin Vassell wants to be ‘defensive anchor’ for Spurs

Devin Vassell said the he wants to be a “defensive anchor” for the San Antonio Spurs.

As the season goes on for the San Antonio Spurs, games will inevitably mean less and less. The Spurs have already been eliminated from playoff contention, so the only thing they are playing for now is internal improvement. That said, they have now won two games in a row and are feeling pretty good about themselves.

One area they should be focusing on for improvement purposes is the defensive end. Having Victor Wembanyama down low defending the rim gives them a serious advantage, but they’ve still been one of the worst defenses in the league so far this season, meaning there is plenty of room for improvement.

After the Spurs’ Wednesday night win over the Utah Jazz, Devin Vassell said that he wants to be a “defensive anchor” for the Spurs. (H/t Jonah Kubicek of Inside the Spurs)

“I’m just trying to be a leader out there on both ends of the floor,” Vassell said. “I talked about it earlier in the season where I just want to be that defensive anchor. I want to be somebody who is picking up and just being disruptive. Defensive end, I’ve been trying to anchor that and offensively coach puts me in a great position to get downhill. Get to my spots. Pick them apart.”

Vassell put up 31 points against the Jazz, but he was just as active on the defensive side of the ball.

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Gregg Popovich jokes about Devin Vassell after Spurs win over Jazz

After the San Antonio Spurs’ win over the Utah Jazz, Gregg Popovich joked about Devin Vassell, who led the way with 31 points.

For the entire season, Victor Wembanyama has been the center of attention in regard to the San Antonio Spurs. There have been more eyes on San Antonio this year than since the Big 3 of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili ruled the Spurs organization. And while Wembanyama is the reason for that, Devin Vassell has taken advantage.

The fourth-year wing has been having a very impressive season, and he’s been getting more credit for it since more people are tuning in. His latest great showing came against the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night, as the Spurs picked up a 118-111 win with him leading the way.

After the game, head coach Gregg Popovich joked about Vassell’s performance, noting that he was worried he may be too tired from having to guard Collin Sexton. (H/t Tom Osborn of the San Antonio Express-News)

“He had to guard Sexton a lot, so I was afraid he might get too tired to shoot the damn thing,” Popovich said.

Luckily, Vassell stepped up to the plate.

“He pushed through and was a monster at both ends,” Popovich said.

Vassell finished the game with 31 points, four rebounds, six assists, and one steal while shooting 12-of-20 from the floor and 4-of-8 from behind the three-point line.

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