Around the NBA: Zion set to debut, All-Star selections

It is a big week for the NBA with Zion Williamson making his first appearance and the announcement of the All-Star starters.

Monday marked Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which is always a notable holiday around the NBA. In addition to a full slate of televised games, the league did a great job as always of putting things in perspective with tributes, interviews that highlight Dr. King’s impact, and addressing that the NBA could not be what it is today without the civil rights movement.

Skip ahead to tonight, and the big week continues as rookie Zion Williamson makes his much-anticipated debut at 8:30 pm (CST) on ESPN. Tonight is a double-header with the Sixers visiting the Raptors at 6:00 pm (CST) in another good game.

Williamson’s debut comes after speculation that the New Orleans Pelicans may shut him down for the season to preserve their prized rookie in a season that is not going well in the win column. We have also seen Zion throwing down some impressive dunks in shootarounds before taking the bench for games, so whether or not he was healthy enough to give it a go was not an issue.

Below is a reminder of what the 19-year-old is capable of from the preseason:

Brandon Ingram has valiantly filled the void of the go-to guy for the Pelicans this year. He appears to have made enough of a leap that he is unlikely to take a backseat to Zion upon his return. The two will form a one-two punch that will be difficult for opposing teams to handle. Mix in the savvy of Jrue Holiday, JJ Redick, and Derrick Favors with the emerging talent of Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, and Jaxson Hayes, and there is a solid team here.

We likely won’t fully see things come together until next season for these young Pelicans. Until then, we can still count on one hell of a show, and that starts tonight.

All-Star starters to be announced

Another exciting event around the NBA is the announcement of the 2020 All-Star starters. Fans have been voting for over a month and the top five vote-getters from both the Eastern and Western Conference will be announced during the usual Thursday double-header on TNT tomorrow night.

The “third fan returns” came out on January 16th and voting ended on January 20th. So, the below image (taken from the official NBA.com website) should provide a decent idea of who is in. Keep in mind also that fan voting is 50 percent of the equation, media is 25 percent, and players make up the other 25 percent.

In both Conferences, three frontcourt players and two backcourt players will be selected as starters. So, four days of voting likely did not impact most of these players on the fan side. The ones that appear to be borderline are the East guards, with Kemba Walker close behind Kyrie Irving. The media and player voting is likely to sway things as well.

The validity of fan voting is always questioned, but the above does not appear to be terribly skewed as it relates to season performance. Some fan favorites are sitting a bit high relative to games played - Kyrie Irving, Steph Curry, and Carmelo Anthony have all missed substantial time this year. Tacko Fall and Alex “Bald Mamba” Caruso are on this list as a collective joke between fans.

The remainder of the All-Star rosters will be announced at a later date. In the meantime, the rest of the week includes some really nice matchups. The national TV schedule is decently loaded, but there is a free preview of NBA League Pass running from now through the 26th for good measure. Also, for those that will be available to watch, there is an afternoon game Friday with the Bucks and Hornets facing off in Paris.

For more on what is going on around the NBA, stay tuned to The Basketball Movement here and on our Twitter.

Around the NBA: Injuries marring early going

The 2019-20 NBA season is in full swing, but injuries to star and role players alike temper excitement somewhat.

Steph Curry unleashed, Zion Williamson taking the league by storm, the bounce-back of Gordan Hayward, Paul George and the Clippers owning the West… these are a few of the things that the NBA regular season is missing right now due to unfortunate injuries.

Despite already taking multiple “rest” days, Kawhi Leonard and his Clippers still look solid, though we have not gotten to see their potential as a juggernaut on both ends due to Paul George’s shoulder injury ahead of this season. At least PG13 is expected back tomorrow, though we will still have to wait a bit longer for another preseason injury to heal…

Zion Williamson has been a threat to his own knees for years already. Being 280lbs or so is one thing, but when you are propelling that weight higher than a human can typically go and falling just as far back to Earth each time, damage can be done. That’s what happened during the preseason, causing the exciting rookie to be sidelined until approximately December 9th. Zion should start watching the tape of the evolution of Blake Griffin now.

Many other injuries came further out even, with Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, DeMarcus Cousins, John Wall, Victor Oladipo, Rajon Rondo, Andre Iguodala, and Andre Roberson still having yet to make a return. Rondo and Roberson are expected back soon (though OKC fans have been given no reason for optimism in the past) and Iguodala and Oladipo will still be out until December. The others may not make the regular season.

The mid-season injuries are the most jarring, as they are unexpected and we already got to see flashes of potential from many of those affected. In his Boston Celtics debut two seasons ago, Gordan Hayward broke his leg badly on the nationally televised NBA tipoff. He missed that season before returning last year only to look fearful to jump and make explosive motions.

This year, Hayward seemed to have returned to his All-Star form, scoring, rebounding, and defending at an elite level. The NBA world was saddened when he broke his hand last week, though he is only expected to miss six weeks. Hopefully, he can pick right back up where he left off.

One of the only bright spots in the Warriors’ young season was a broken hand of their own, only because it was the non-shooting hand of future hall-of-famer, Steph Curry. Curry’s hand was flattened beneath a crashing seven-footer and his injury is expected to need three months to heal. Curry is hopeful to beat that timeline, but Golden State is nowhere near contention with their stars hurt and depth exposed.

We did finally see Blake Griffin return last night from the injury he fought through in last year’s playoffs. He had a nice line, though he did appear winded. Unfortunately, the Pistons have since lost Reggie Jackson to injury, though Derrick Rose is scorching earth in his place. The Blazers’ bigs have been hit hard with lengthy absences expected following injuries to both Jusuf Nurkic and Zach Collins.

Nagging injuries abound as they always do, but unfortunately, the big ones do not stop with the above. The Milwaukee Bucks second-fiddle, All-Star Kris Middleton suffered a quad injury that is expected to sideline him through at least early December.

De’Aaron Fox of the Kings recently suffered an ankle injury expected to sideline him until mid-December. Sacramento already had Marvin Bagley III sitting for a month with a fractured finger. The defending champion Raptors will have to go a week or two without Kyle Lowry (thumb) and Serge Ibaka (ankle).

You’ve read this far!? That means you now fully grasp how bad the injuries have been to start the 2019-20 season. There have been other great storylines as well, with the Raptors’ Pascal Siakam angling towards a second consecutive Most Improved Player award, the battle for LA in full swing, and the Westbrook/Harden tandem actually working.

Hopefully, the injuries clear up a bit soon and we can see the greatest teams in the world back at full strength. Keep checking back here for more updates from Around the NBA!

Tonight: The 2019 NBA Draft

The millionth-ish annual NBA Draft begins tonight - Here is what you need to know about the 2019 edition.

Even with the recent conclusion of the 2019 NBA Finals, the Association has remained abuzz with trades, rumors, and talk of the upcoming NBA Draft. For many of us, basketball has been a 365 day-per-year focus for a while now. More and more, the NBA alone is a year-round event.

With trades continuing to roll in, (recently Mike Conely Jr. from Memphis to Utah for Kyle Korver, Grayson Allen, Jae Crowder, this year’s 23rd pick, and another future first-rounder) focus is firmly on the draft. The biggest trade after the season ended sent superstar Anthony Davis to the Lakers for Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, Brandon Ingram, and three first-round picks, including number four overall tonight. This trade is noteworthy as it greatly affects tonight’s draft.

Lakerland is focused on winning now, as any team boasting LeBron James should be. The New Orleans Pelicans now have young talent to build around, which they will be able to do right away.

New Orleans will likely select consensus top-talent, Zion Williamson of Duke first overall. Now, they get to select another impressive talent to pair with him since they appear to have control of the number four pick technically still owned by the Lakers. The pick is expected to be Jarrett Culver or De’Andre Hunter to pair with Williamson. Darius Garland will be in the mix as well.

The Grizzlies and Knicks pick number two and three, respectively. Those picks are expected to be Ja Morant of Murray State or RJ Barrett out of Duke.

Below is a mock draft example taken directly from ESPN (that was before the AD to LA deal):

These player rankings are speculation and it is wild how close to the moment these teams often change their minds. There is plenty of reason to believe there will be picks traded throughout the night as well, starting with that new number four overall pick.

It will be interesting to see how everything shakes out as so many young men see their dreams come true. 60 players will be selected - not all will go straight to the association, as many will wind up in the G-League, etc. Either way, they are all moving one step closer to the ultimate basketball dream and we wish them the best!

Zion Williamson is headed to the NBA

Zion Williamson has officially declared for the 2019 NBA Draft; he isn’t the only Duke Blue Devil either.

A couple weeks ago, we highlighted the early names that had declared for the NBA Draft or were at least testing the waters. That list was headlined by Murray State’s Ja Morant, who figures to be picked in or around the top three. Now, we are starting to see those other names at the top fill in as well.

The list of names of players that have declared has gotten long, so it may not be worth listing here. What you mostly need to know is that Zion Williamson has officially entered the fray.

Duke freshman Zion Williamson has been on this path for years. We started hearing about him from high school dunk highlights, but he really exploded on the national scene while playing for a stacked, but young team for Coach Mike Krzyzewski. Being built like a tank while maintaining athleticism has helped set him apart. We at The Basketball Movement also know that this has taken years of incredibly hard work, so, congrats to Williamson for making his dreams a reality.

As great as Zion is, he not the only Duke freshman looking to explode onto the NBA scene. RJ Barrett has also declared for the draft now and will likely be picked at two or three alongside the aforementioned, Ja Morant. Cam Reddish has also officially declared. While he had a comparatively quiet season with Duke, he is still an undeniable, elite talent.

A standout from the NCAA championship game, De’Andre Hunter of Virginia has declared along with teammate, Kyle Guy. Other big names like Darius Garland, Bol Bol, Devon Dotson, Quentin Grimes, Tyler Herro, Keldon Johnson, Romeo Langford, Nassir Little, EJ Montgomery, Kevin Porter Jr., Semisola Shittu, and Coby White, have also declared in addition to some overseas talent.

We will be bringing you draft reports and are as excited as you are to see these guys in action. Until then, the NBA Playoffs are underway, so keep an eye out for more news from all levels of the game of basketball!