After spending the majority of his rookie season in the G League, Vince Williams Jr. is now taking on most of the Grizzlies‘ toughest defensive assignments, notes Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. Williams is hoping to become Memphis’ version of Patrick Beverley, changing games with big plays on defense. “He’s locking up,” Jaren Jackson Jr. said. “He’s being that guy we need to guard the best wings in the game right now. He’s an irritant, and he’s still scoring the ball ..read more

Grizzlies shooting guard Luke Kennard, who has been sidelined since November 14 with a left knee bone bruise, is nearing his return to the 5-14 club. Memphis has revealed (Twitter link) that the team expects the 6’5″ wing back in the lineup in the next two-to-three weeks. Across his eight available games, the 27-year-old is averaging 8.3 PPG on .362/.370/1.000 shooting splits. He’s also logging 2.9 RPG and 2.0 APG. The veteran Duke product is averaging 21.5 MPG off Memphis’ bench. Kennard’s floor-spacing acumen would be a welcome boon to the Grizzlies’ depleted offensive attack. He’s a career ..read more

Guard Jaylen Nowell is inking another 10-day deal with the ailing Grizzlies, sources inform Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). Memphis was granted an extra hardship exception to re-sign Nowell on this short-term contract, Woj notes. Across his five contests with the club, the 6’4″ shooting guard has been averaging 6.2 PPG, 2.4 RPG and 1.4 APG. He’s logging 18.8 MPG off the bench for an injury-plagued Memphis team. Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal tweets that combo guard Shaquille Harrison, another 10-day hardship signing, is most probably done in Memphis. Seven Grizzlies ..read more

Free agent guard/forward Davon Reed is signing an NBA G League contract to play with the Memphis Hustle, the Grizzlies‘ affiliate, sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). The 32nd overall pick of the 2017 draft, Reed spent his first two seasons with the Suns and Pacers before spending time in the NBAGL and playing professionally in Taiwan. He returned to the NBA in 2021/22 with the Nuggets and re-signed with Denver as a free agent last summer. Reed was traded to the Lakers in February in a multi-team deal that sent Thomas Bryant to the Nuggets. The 28-year-old wing was waived ..read more

Pelicans wing Trey Murphy tore the meniscus in his left knee in September, missing the first 19 games of New Orleans’ season. The injury was a major setback for a player who had increased his scoring average from 5.4 in 2021/22 to 14.5 last season, establishing himself as one of the Pelicans’ key rotation pieces. Murphy made his 2023 season debut on Friday, immediately picking back up where he left off. He scored 18 points in his return and helped the Pels to a 15-point victory over the Spurs. “He’s been a big part of our success the last two seasons,” coach Willie Green said, per Christian Cl ..read more

With Aaron Gordon unavailable for the Nuggets‘ past three games due to a right heel injury, Michael Porter Jr. has seen more action at power forward and said the transition has been a smooth one, per Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette (Twitter links). “It’s easier for me, I think, at the four. It’s more of a matchup for me,” Porter explained. “Those bigger guys guarding me, they don’t want to chase around screens. They don’t want to close out all the way. I can get by them easier. So, it’s fun playing the four. It’s fine playing the three, too, but it hasn’t been too much of an adjustment ..read more

A practice led by the players resulted in the Grizzlies‘ first home win of the season Wednesday night, writes Damichael Cole of The Commercial Appeal. Reeling from injuries to several rotation members and the absence of Ja Morant amid his 25-game suspension, Memphis played one of its worst games of the season Sunday in a 22-point loss to Minnesota. Marcus Smart and Derrick Rose both spoke out about the poor performance, and the result was a lengthy practice session that focused on fundamentals and communication. Head coach Taylor Jenkins was the only member of the coaching staff who spoke up d ..read more

After making several significant changes to their roster during the 2023 offseason, the Rockets figure to remain active on the trade market during the season. League sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype that Houston has interest in pursuing further roster upgrades, with Victor Oladipo, Jock Landale, Jeff Green, and draft picks among the team’s potential trade chips. None of those three players are owed guaranteed money beyond 2023/24 and all are being paid between $8-10MM this season, making them logical salary-matching pieces. Forward Jae’Sean Tate has also generated exploratory interest ..read more

The NBA in-season tournament will reach the quarterfinal stage next week and the eight qualifiers and their seeds were finalized on Tuesday. The 22 teams that failed to advance had two holes in their schedules that needed to be filled. Those matchups were determined late Tuesday evening, with each team receiving a home and away contest, NBA Communications tweets. The newly-scheduled games will take place next Wednesday (December 6) and Friday (Dec. 8). The Cavaliers and Magic, who missed the quarterfinals despite their 3-1 tournament records, will face each other in Cleveland on Wednesday. Cle ..read more

The Grizzlies believe their struggles go beyond Ja Morant‘s suspension and injuries to several key players, according to Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. After Friday’s loss at Phoenix, Derrick Rose called for the team to increase its focus on defense, and Desmond Bane sought a return to basketball fundamentals. “It’s just a commitment that we’re going to have to make 1 through 15,” Bane said. “Everybody on the floor has an obligation to get out and run, share the ball and whenever opportunities are there, be aggressive. If they’re not there, swing it to the open teammate. It ..read more