NBA notes: COVID-19 complications; Rookie of the Year race; John Wall’s ‘strong’ return
The NBA successfully created and maintained a safe environment over the summer when it constructed a bubble to complete the 2019-20 season at the ESPN Wide World of Sports at Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Florida.
Traveling from city to city to play games in home markets this season is proving to be a much greater challenge without the protection of a bubble.
In accordance with league health and safety protocols, the NBA postponed Monday’s game between the New Orleans Pelicans and Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center in Dallas and Tuesday’s game between the Boston Celtics and Chicago Bulls at United Center in Chicago. Sunday’s game between the Celtics and Miami Heat was postponed as well.
Those games were postponed because the Mavericks, Celtics and Heat did not have the minimum eight players available due to injuries, COVID-19 cases and contact tracing. A season-opening game between the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder was also postponed because the Rockets didn’t have enough players.
The NBA was meeting with the National Basketball Players Association on Monday to discuss modifying the league’s health and safety protocols. Sources told ESPN changes could include elimination of shootarounds, reduction in practices, more mask wearing and possibly new restrictions on guests who visit players while they are on the road. The league could also consider further roster expansion and changes to the contact tracing process.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver said he expected these kinds of complications when the season began.
“We do anticipate that there will be bumps in the road along the way,” Silver said in a conference call. “It’s one of the reasons, for example, we issued the schedule just as a first half of the season; waiting to see sort of how this plays out before we issue the second half of the season, knowing that it’s possible that we may have to reschedule games along the way, knowing that this is something very new.”
John Wall returns in top form
The Kings were the first team to discover what the rest of the league is learning now. After missing most of the 2018-19 season and all of the 2019-20 season due to heel and Achilles injuries, John Wall is back.
The five-time All-Star had 50 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds in his first two games against the Kings. Wall had 22 points and nine assists against Sacramento in his Rockets debut Dec. 31 — his first game in two years — and then scored 28 points against the Kings on Jan. 2.
“He looks just as fast as he did before” Kings coach Walton said.
Wall is averaging 20.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.2 assists for the Rockets after spending his first nine seasons with the Washington Wizards. He is shooting career highs of 46.4% from the field and 87% from the free-throw line.
“He looks great,” Kings point guard De’Aaron Fox said. “For one, he’s so strong with everything he does. He’s like a train coming down the court. He’s able to get to his spot. … He’s able to get guys the ball and we know what he can do defensively. He still is doing everything at an extremely high level.”
Kings guard Buddy Hield agreed, saying Wall gave him some pointers while the team was in Houston.
“He’s talking and being a coach out there for his teammates,” Hield said. “He’s very positive. He’s even telling me stuff I can do to get open.”
Rookie of the Year race
Kings guard Tyrese Haliburton and Charlotte Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball are emerging as early leaders in the NBA Rookie of the Year race.
Ball, 19, became the youngest player in NBA history to record a triple-double when he posted 22 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists against the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday. He is averaging 12.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5.9 assists while shooting 43.5% from the field and 35.6% from 3-point range.
Haliburton is averaging 12.1 points, 5.5 assists, 2.6 rebounds and 1.4 steals for the Kings. His numbers are a bit more modest, and coming from Oshkosh, Wisconsin, he doesn’t have the Big Baller Brand of hype, but Haliburton has been remarkably efficient. He is shooting 52.2% from the field, 50% from 3-point range and 88.9% at the free-throw line. Haliburton has 44 assists with eight turnovers in eight games while Ball has 59 assists and 21 turnovers in 10 games.
With his smooth blend of productivity and precision, Haliburton is third in the NBA with an offensive rating of 139, according to basketball-reference.com. Ball has an offensive rating of 112.
Porzingis return delayed
Mavericks big man Kristaps Porzingis was expected to make his season debut against the Pelicans on Monday before the game was postponed.
Porzingis had surgery to repair a torn meniscus after suffering a knee injury in the playoffs last season. The Mavericks went 2-4 to start the season before winning their last three games.
Luka Doncic is averaging 26.6 points, 9.3 rebounds and 8.3 assists, but he is shooting just 22.8% from 3-point range. He should benefit from the return of Porzingis, who averaged 20.4 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocked shots last season.
