Tag: Utah Jazz

Former Duke basketball star Kyle Filipowski drops 26 points in NBA Summer League

Former Blue Devil Kyle Filipowski, a second-round pick in the 2024 NBA draft, put together another 20-point NBA Summer League game on Sunday.

[autotag]Kyle Filipowski[/autotag]’s professional basketball career isn’t even a full month old and he’s already put together multiple 20-point games.

The former Duke basketball star scored 26 points for the Utah Jazz during a 97-87 victory over the Detroit Pistons in an NBA Summer League game on Sunday. He erupted for 16 points in the second quarter, giving him 24 at the midway point after he buried three 3-pointers.

Filipowski also brought in 11 rebounds for a double-double, and he finished the game with four assists and two steals en route to the win.

The performance comes just four days after his first 20-point game during offseason competitions. He scored 20 and tacked on seven rebounds in a victory over the Toronto Raptors earlier in the week.

Despite ESPN Analytics thinking the Second Team All-American carried more than a 70% chance to get picked in the first round, he needed to wait until round two for the Jazz to take him off the board. If his form thus far in the Summer League is an indication, Filipowski might make teams look silly for that decision.

The big man, coincidentally, played alongside former North Carolina rival Armando Bacot as the two both made Utah’s summer roster. Bacot, who also started for the Jazz, finished the game with 11 points and three rebounds.

Report: Former Thunder Russell Westbrook set to join Nuggets

Report: Former Thunder Russell Westbrook set to join Nuggets.

In a blast from the past, the Oklahoma City Thunder will see a familiar face in their divisional matchups. Russell Westbrook is expected to sign with the Denver Nuggets, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

The 2016-17 MVP winner was traded to the Utah Jazz from the LA Clippers. The 35-year-old received a buyout on his deal and is set to join Denver in a presumed bench role.

Westbrook enjoyed the best years of his career with the Thunder from 2008-19. Since then, he’s jumped around the league. The Nuggets will be his fifth squad in six seasons.

Westbrook spent last season with the Clippers. He averaged 11.1 points on 45.4% shooting, five rebounds and 4.5 assists off the bench. He now joins three-time MVP Nikola Jokic.

The Thunder and Nuggets will square off as two of the top teams in the Western Conference next season.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Kyle Filipowski puts together first 20-point NBA Summer League performance

One day after Jared McCain’s first 20-point NBA Summer League game, his former Duke teammate accomplished the same feat in Las Vegas.

The Duke basketball rookie class can’t stop turning heads in Las Vegas during the NBA Summer League.

In a Wednesday night game against Toronto, 7-footer [autotag]Kyle Filipowski[/autotag] put together his first 20-point performance in an NBA uniform. He also added seven rebounds, three steals, two assists, and a block during the 86-76 victory.

The former Blue Devil won ACC Rookie of the Year honors in 2022-23 before making the somewhat surprising decision to return for his sophomore year. He averaged 16.4 points and 8.3 rebounds, earning Second Team All-American honors and helping Duke to the Elite Eight.

After ESPN Analytics said there was more than a 70% chance for Filipowski to get drafted in the first round last month, he ended up lasting until the second day before the Jazz took him with the 32nd pick.

Filipowski scored 13 points in his previous Summer League outing, an 82-70 loss to Sacramento that included five rebounds and two assists.

Just one day before Filipowski’s exceptional performance against the Raptors, former teammate Jared McCain scored 21 points in a Summer League game for the Philadelphia 76ers.

How much would be too much for a San Antonio Spurs trade for Lauri Markkanen?

What if Ainge covets one of the Spurs’ better young players — or several?

The San Antonio Spurs have found themselves to be reportedly in the mix to trade for star Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen. But the potential cost of such a trade is likely to be a high one, given the person calling the shots for the Jazz is renowned NBA dealmaker Danny Ainge, Utah’s current President of Basketball Operations.

Thus, the question must arise as to what too much to include in a deal for The Finnisher (as the native of Finland is sometimes called) on the part of the Spurs. With a surplus of draft capital, San Antonio is likely looking for a picks-based offer, but what if Ainge covets one of the Spurs’ better young players — or several?

To talk it over, the host of the “Locked On Spurs” podcast, Jeff Garcia, linked up with AP Sports Writer Raul Dominguez to discuss the possibilities of a Markkanen trade for San Antonio. Check it out below!

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

League analyst floats Utah Jazz sending Lauri Markkanen to San Antonio Spurs to capture the (Cooper) Flagg

If the Jazz want to pass on playing NBA basketball for a season to switch to playing “Capture the (Cooper) Flagg,” we would not blame them.

If the Utah Jazz want to pass on playing NBA basketball for a season in order to switch to playing some “Capture the Flagg,” we would not blame them in the slightest. Especially given that the Maine native we are hinting at (Duke forward Cooper Flagg) could be one of the best stars to be drafted into the league in many years.

And should they move in such a direction, they would need to lower the level of talent on their roster, with Bleacher Report league analyst Andy Bailey having just the trade in mind to make with the San Antonio Spurs.

Bailey would have the Jazz send star forward Lauri Markkanen to the Spurs for Keldon Johnson, a 2025 first round pick, a 2026 first-round pick swap (via the Atlanta Hawks), a 2027 first (again via Atlanta) and a 2031 first round pick swap (via the Sacramento Kings).

Not a bad haul, if you ask us, though who knows if it would be enough for notoriously stingy Jazz team president Danny Ainge. “Markkanen is good and young enough to justify keeping … but Flagg has “best player on a title team” potential, and this trade would give Utah a better shot at landing him next summer,” he writes.

“For the … Spurs, adding Markkanen to a roster that already includes a rising top 10-15 player (Wembanyama, of course), Chris Paul … Devin Vassell and Harrison Barnes could have them back in the playoffs as early as next season.”

“Even if they can’t crack that group in the loaded Western Conference, a frontcourt combo of Markkanen and Wemby would, arguably, be the league’s best and most versatile,” adds Buckley — and we’re inclined to agree.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Lakers will be in West Group B for the 2024-25 in-season tournament

The Lakers’ competition in the 2024-25 NBA in-season tournament has been announced.

When the NBA announced its first-ever in-season tournament for the 2023-24 season, some were skeptical and dismissed it as a gimmick. While one can debate the value and weight of winning the tournament, it was a success for the league.

Players played with more gusto during tournament games, and the final game of the tourney got excellent ratings. Of course, in that final game, the Los Angeles Lakers brushed past the Indiana Pacers, 123-109, to win the inaugural NBA Cup.

For this coming season, the in-season tournament has a new sponsor in the airline Emirates. On Friday, the groups for the tourney were announced, and the Lakers will be in West Group B along with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns, Utah Jazz and San Antonio Spurs.

While this may not be the most competitive group (that will likely be West Group C), it won’t be an easy one either. The Suns still have Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, while the Thunder finished with the top seed in the Western Conference last season and look to be even stronger going into the 2024-25 campaign.

Meanwhile, playing the Spurs means dealing with Victor Wembanyama, the reigning Rookie of the Year. Many feel the 7-foot-4 France native is going to become an MVP-caliber player, if not the best player in the world, within five years, and it is scary to think how much better he will be in just his second pro season.

OKC Thunder to be part of West’s Group B for 2024-25 NBA Cup

OKC Thunder to be part of West’s Group B for 2024-25 NBA Cup.

The NBA announced its six groups for the 2024-25 NBA Cup. The Oklahoma City Thunder will be in the West’s Group B with the Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers, Utah Jazz and San Antonio Spurs.

The league will have six groups of five NBA squads divided among the Western and Eastern conferences. Each team will play four games against the rest of their group.

These games will occur on Tuesdays and Fridays throughout the November and December portion of the 2024-25 season.

Whoever has the best record among the six groups advances to an eight-team knockout tournament with two at-large bids — one from the West and one from the East.

The quarterfinals will be played from Dec. 10-11. The remainder of the tournament will be held in Las Vegas from Dec. 14-17. The NBA Cup championship will take place on Dec. 17.

The rest of the groups are as follows:

Image

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Former UCLA star Johnny Juzang signs $12 million deal with Jazz

Juzang gets paid!

Former UCLA Bruins basketball star Johnny Juzang has enjoyed his time in the NBA so far. On Friday, Juzang inked a four-year deal worth $12 million with the Utah Jazz, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

“Restricted free agent guard Johnny Juzang has agreed on a four-year, $12 million deal to return to the Utah Jazz, sources tell ESPN. Juzang played on consecutive two-way deals after going undrafted out of UCLA and now lands a long-term deal as part of the Jazz’s rebuild.”

Juzang was undrafted out of UCLA but was on several two-way deals, playing between the NBA and the G League.

He played in 20 games in the 2023-2024 season, averaging 7.2 PPG and played in 18 games in his rookie year averaging 4.8 PPG.

Now, the former Bruin gets a nice payday and should see an increase in usage as the Jazz enter another chapter in their rebuild.

Jack Gohlke scores 3-pointer in summer league debut for OKC Thunder

Jack Gohlke scores 3-pointer in summer league debut for OKC Thunder.

One of the highlights of the Oklahoma City Thunder’s stay in Utah for summer league was the pro debut of Oakland’s Jack Gohlke.

The 24-year-old became a household name after he led Oakland to an upset win over Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament. He went undrafted but signed with the Thunder on their SL roster.

In his sole season at Oakland, Gohlke averaged 10.3 3-point attempts. 364 of his 372 attempts were from deep.

In the Thunder’s blowout win over the Utah Jazz, Gohlke checked in for the final four minutes and nailed his lone 3-point attempt.

Gohlke’s sole bucket occurred after he slid to a sidestep 3-pointer. A pump-fake had Kyle Filipowski in the air and the undrafted rookie splashed in the outside shot. It was about as perfect as a first bucket anybody could’ve dreamed of.

The 24-year-old will likely see more action as summer league progresses. He’ll make an otherwise forgettable second half of SL into must-watch television.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Kyle Filipowski throws down alley-oop dunk for first NBA Summer League bucket

The former Duke big man and Utah’s second-round pick scored his first NBA Summer League basket with an alley-oop dunk on Tuesday.

One day after Jared McCain scored his first professional points during the NBA Summer League, former teammate [autotag]Kyle Filipowski[/autotag] matched his feat on Tuesday.

The former Blue Devils 7-footer and Utah’s second-round pick in the 2024 NBA draft got on the board during the Jazz’s game against Oklahoma City (the same team McCain played during Philadelphia’s first game). During the third quarter, teammate Taevion Kinsey lofted the ball up toward the rim before Filipowski slammed the ball down with both hands and some additional authority.

The rookie finished the game with four points, five rebounds, and a pair of assists after playing a little under 20 minutes. The Jazz lost the game, 98-75.

Filipowski tumbled into the second round despite winning the ACC Rookie of the Year award in 2022-23 and coming back for a Second Team All-American season in 2023-24. He averaged 16.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.5 blocks, and 1.1 steals per game during his final season with the Blue Devils.

Check out McCain’s first NBA Summer League basket here.