NBA News Today: Damian Lillard offers candid take on Draymond Green-Jordan Poole situation, Adam Silver hails league’s international stars, and more - October 10th, 2022
NBA superstar Damian Lillard recently spoke about the viral Draymond Green-Jordan Poole altercation. Lillard gave a more level-headed and articulate take than most others who have already reacted to the news.
During a recent press conference in Abu Dhabi, NBA commissioner Adam Silver spoke about the league’s promising future. Silver also praised some of the NBA’s top international stars.
On that note, here’s the latest news from around the NBA as of Oct. 10th, 2022.
Damian Lillard offers candid take on Draymond Green-Jordan Poole situation
A leaked video revealed Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green punched teammate Jordan Poole at practice a few days ago. In the aftermath of the altercation, many fans and players have given their take on the viral punch. Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard recently gave a candid take on the situation.
During an interview with reporter Sean Highkin, Lillard spoke about how unfortunate the incident was and added that fights are normal in the NBA.
“It’s unfortunate," Lillard said. "When you spend as much time with your teammates as we do, you want it to be positive and you want it to be respectful. But I’d be lying if I said there hasn’t been a lot of heated moments that I’ve seen in my career."
Damian Lillard on the Draymond Green-Jordan Poole altercation: https://t.co/aJmnQdjdt8
Lillard added that he thought the video footage shouldn’t have been released.
“I’m sure it happens in every locker room," Lillard said. "You never wish to see that. I think what happens behind closed doors should stay that way. … So I thought the fact that video came out is wrong."
After the incident, Lillard later spoke about what Draymond Green and Jordan Poole must have been thinking.
“On the altercation itself, as wrong as it was, I think if you’re a boxing fan, in boxing, they say you’ve got to protect yourself at all times," Lillard said. "I think Draymond, who I know pretty well, probably walked away from that situation saying, ‘I probably shouldn’t have done that to my teammate.’
"And Jordan Poole’s probably walking away thinking, ‘When I push somebody, I should know that something may come back.’”
Finally, Lillard touched on the fact that NBA players are often called out for their lack of toughness. So having players stand up for themselves may not be the worst thing in the world.
“I think it’s become a thing in the NBA where it’s like, ‘Ain’t nobody gonna do nothing.’ Everybody’s always quick to say that," Lillard said. "So then when somebody does something, it’s the end of the world.
"Like I said, it’s unfortunate but if two grown men are having words, and one pushes the other, you’ve got to assume that something might happen. That’s just how I saw it.”
It will undoubtedly be interesting to see if the Warriors' organization and the league consider these things with Green’s punishment.
Chicago Bulls big man Andre Drummond channels his inner Steph Curry with shocking 3-point barrage.
Chicago Bulls newly signed backup center Andre Drummond has been known primarily for his rebounding and double-doubles throughout his career. Since the Detroit Pistons drafted Drummond in 2012, he leads the entire league in rebounds per game at 13.3 rebounds per game. He also leads the league in total double-doubles at 453.
However, Drummond is known to be a poor shooter. He has a career 3-point percentage of just 13.2% and a career free throw percentage of just 47.3%. In fact, for his 10-year career, Drummond has made a total of just 15 threes, making his recent preseason shooting spree more surprising.
During the Bulls' 115-98 win over the Raptors on Sunday, Drummond finished with nine points on 3-3 shooting from deep in 15 minutes. His shooting quickly went viral among NBA fans, who were shocked to see the big man splashing threes.
Andre Drummond is 3/3 from 3 tonight 👀 https://t.co/bTu7kJBq5z
Drummond is only 29 years old and entering his 11th season. But his career has already been on a steep downswing. Drummond has gone from an All-Star to a limited backup center role throughout the last few seasons.
However, if Drummond can continue to space the floor for the Bulls in the regular season, it could open up new opportunities. It would help the Bulls' spacing and provide Drummond with an avenue to revive his career as a stretch-five.
Andre Drummond bout to take a similar route like Brook Lopez did if this keeps up!! twitter.com/WorldWideWob/s…
Josh Hart earns Portland Trail Blazers’ starting small forward spot
The Portland Trail Blazers are coming off a disappointing injury-riddled season where they went 27-55 and finished 13th in the Western Conference. However, the Blazers are looking to contend with Damian Lillard healthy entering this season.
The team acquired athletic power forward Jerami Grant from the Detroit Pistons this past offseason to shore up their frontcourt alongside veteran center Jusuf Nurkic. Shooting guard Anfernee Simons' breakout last season has him looking like a suitable backcourt partner for Lillard.
That left the Blazers' starting small forward spot as their most significant question mark. However, the spot is now reportedly going to veteran Josh Hart.
“The Oregonian’s” Aaron Fentress first reported the news, saying that Hart beat out teammates Justise Winslow and Nassir Little for the starting role. The report has since been confirmed by Blazers coach Chauncey Billups, according to Trail Blazers reporter Casey Holdahl.
Chauncey Billups confirms @AaronJFentress’ report that @joshhart will start at small forward tonight and once the regular season starts
Hart played in just 13 games for Portland last season after being acquired from the New Orleans Pelicans in a midseason trade. However, he averaged 19.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game on 50.3% shooting from the field and 37.3% from three.
It could be argued that Hart is a bit undersized for the small forward position at just 6-foot-5. But he’s always been a good rebounder for his size at 5.7 rpg for his career. He’s also proven he can defend bigger players. Hart should be an excellent fit next to Lillard, Simons, Grant and Nurkic in the Blazers’ starting lineup.
Dallas Mavericks considering making an offer to free agent point guard Facundo Campazzo
The Dallas Mavericks still lack secondary playmakers following their loss of guard Jalen Brunson to the New York Knicks this offseason. It had seemed like the Mavs were prepared to rely on a collective effort from various role players to replace Brunson. This group includes Frank Ntilikina, Josh Green and rookie Jaden Hardy.
However, none of those guys are true playmakers. This lack of playmaking has reportedly led the Mavs to consider signing free-agent playmaker Facundo Campazzo as the team’s backup point guard.
A foreign news outlet, “Encestando,” reported how the Mavs have been considering signing Campazzo for weeks. The article also mentioned that the team might wait until they make roster cuts before signing him.
Campazzo, a prominent overseas veteran, has played for the Denver Nuggets for two seasons. He has often been limited by his size at 5-foot-10, preventing him from being a productive scorer or defender in the NBA.
Campazzo currently has career averages of 5.6 points and 3.5 assists per game on 37.2% shooting. However, his career assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.2 to 1 is still appealing to teams looking for some playmaking.
Campazzo also has some experience playing with Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic for Real Madrid in the 2017-18 season. That is also likely a critical factor in the Mavericks' decision-making.
Adam Silver praises NBA’s international stars, speaks on upcoming enhancements to the NBA's global fan experience
During a recent press conference before a preseason game in Abu Dhabi, NBA commissioner Adam Silver spoke about the league’s future. This future includes how the league plans to expand its global presence.
“I’ve now been with the NBA for 30 years," Silver said. "I think in the next five years, we’ll see a lot more development than we saw over the last 30 years. There’s that much change going on in the presentation of sports right now."
Silver then answered questions about the development of the NBA’s game presentations. Silver said the NBA is looking to make it easier for fans worldwide to access games.
“One of the things we’re working on right now is the distribution of the games," Silver said. "That is, the ease of accessibility of the games. Part of why we launched this new [NBA] app this year is that it’s broadly available."
"We recognize it has to be convenient for the fans to get our games. Not to be searching in many different places, different apps, different networks to try to find us."
Ahead of the 2022-23 season, the league launched the new reimagined NBA App to be an all-in-one destination for fans of every team.
To celebrate the new app, the league released its campaign, “This is HAPPENING,” to get fans excited about all the NBA App has to offer. https://t.co/4ImwtmPcz7
Later in his press conference, Silver spoke about the NBA’s biggest foreign stars. This includes Milwaukee Bucks superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, who Silver raved about.
“He brings true joy to the game," Silver said. "You can see it in his style of play and his relationship with his teammates. And of course, Giannis as a player is a multiple MVP. … Has taken the game to the highest level, yet puts the extra time in the gym to continue to develop his game. He’s a commissioner’s dream."
Silver also praised Denver Nuggets superstar center Nikola Jokic.
“All the wonderful things I said about Giannis, ditto for Nikola," Silver said. "Also an incredible young man. A big man but a different style in many ways than Giannis. … Represents Serbia incredibly well. I’m not going to put odds out there on his chances of winning the MVP again, but another player who’s just a joy to watch."
Finally, Silver spoke about the hype for French NBA draft prospect Victor Wembanyama.
“I think I could be jinxing a player who hasn’t come into the NBA yet by me anointing him as ‘the next great one.’ But he certainly has all the attributes of a true game-changer," Silver said. "The physical wherewithal. He certainly seems to have the mind to be a great player. He stepped up on that big stage against the Ignite."
Overall, Adam Silver’s press conference made one thing clear. With all the NBA’s international stars combined with plans to improve the global fan experience, the league should only continue to grow in popularity worldwide.
For more on Adam Silver's press conference in Abu Dhabi, click here.