NBA News Roundup: Reigning Sixth Man of the Year signs contract extension, Steph Curry hails Dubs' productive Japan trip, and more - October 3, 2022
Reigning NBA Sixth Man of the Year, Tyler Herro has agreed to a lucrative contract extension with the Miami Heat. Terms of the deal have been released, with Herro reacting to the news on social media.
In other news, Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry talks about the productivity of the Warriors’ recent preseason trip to Japan.
Here's the latest news from around the NBA as of Oct. 3rd, 2022.
Tyler Herro Agrees to a four-year $130 million contract extension with the Miami Heat.
Miami Heat shooting guard Tyler Herro is fresh off a career year for the Heat. He won the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award. According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Herro has now cashed in on his success to the tune of a four-year, $130 million contract extension.
Wojnarowski reported the extension details, including $120 million in guaranteed salary plus $10 million in incentives. The extension kicks in starting with the 2023-24 NBA season.
Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro – the NBA’s reigning Sixth Man of the Year – has agreed on a four-year, $130 million contract extension, his agents Jeff Schwartz and Mike Lindeman of @Excelbasketball tell ESPN. https://t.co/n1Z1IW73PX
Herro also reacted to the breaking news of his lucrative deal on Twitter.
🤧 https://t.co/usI8debi7Q
Tyler Herro may have been a bench player last season for the Heat, but he produced like a starter. Herro averaged 20.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game while shooting 39.9% from three last season. He was the Heat’s second-leading scorer behind All-Star Jimmy Butler.
His average of 20.7 ppg was also almost four points higher than any other bench player in the NBA. This performance led him to receive 96 out of 100 first-place votes for Sixth Man of the year.
At 22 years old and entering his fourth season, the Miami Heat have big plans for Herro moving forward. The Heat won 53 games last season and finished as the top seed in the Eastern Conference. They eventually fell short in Game 7 of the conference finals versus the Boston Celtics.
Their core, including Herro, Butler, Bam Adebayo and Kyle Lowry, is now locked up for multiple seasons. The Heat will look to win their first NBA title since 2013.
Stephen Curry hails Dubs’ productive Japan trip
The reigning NBA champion Golden State Warriors have shown little rust in the preseason. The team beat the Washington Wizards for the second time on Sunday night to improve to 2-0 during their preseason trip to Japan.
Curry finished with a team-high 17 points as the team beat Washington 104-95 in front of a full crowd Sunday in Saitama, Japan. This win comes after the Warriors beat the Wizards 96-87 in Japan just a couple of days earlier. In that game, third-year center James Wiseman stood out with a game-high 20 points.
Following Sunday's game, Stephen Curry spoke about the team’s success in Japan, according to ABS CBN News.
"I think we made it productive, and I think we got a little bit better as a team, got to know each other a little better," Curry said.
Curry also spoke highly of Japan.
"Love Japan, love Tokyo, love this whole area. It was an amazing four days. I wish it was a little longer," Curry said.
Finally, Curry added that the team still has more work to do before the start of the regular season.
"I think the bigger thing is the next two weeks that we have back at home. We have three more pre-season games, a lot of good practice time, and that's going to be a big chance for us to fine-tune a lot of things to get ready for the start of the season," Curry said.
Malcolm Brogdon praises Joe Mazzulla’s coaching style
Boston Celtics interim coach Joe Mazzulla got his first taste of action as a coach on Sunday. It was an impressive debut as the Celtics blew out the Charlotte Hornets 134-93, a 41-point win.
According to "SB Nation Celtics Blog," newly acquired Celtics guard Malcolm Brogdon praised his new coach’s calm demeanor after the game.
“I thought he was excellent," Brogdon said. I thought he was composed and I thought he had some great out-of-timeout plays. He’s not a yeller; he’s not a screamer. He’s very deliberate; he’s very direct. ... He’s going to be very direct and very honest with what he expects from you, which I think is everything an NBA player wants in a coach.”
It’s only been one preseason game, but it’s about as good of a debut as any coach could expect. Mazzulla spoke about his first-time experience after the game and highlighted his gratitude for the opportunity.
“It felt like I was coaching a great team that wanted to win," Mazzulla said. "That was fun to coach. Just grateful for it. Like I said … grateful because I get to coach a bunch of great guys and great players. And not many people in my position get that opportunity."
"It felt like I was coaching a great team that wanted to win"
Joe Mazzzula talks about his debut as interim head coach https://t.co/ZgoUnRssbE
The Celtics will look to carry this positive momentum into their second preseason game versus the Toronto Raptors on Oct. 5th.
Steven Adams signs contract extension with the Memphis Grizzlies
The Memphis Grizzlies are coming off a terrific season, finishing with the second-best record in the NBA at 56-26. One of their key rotation players was veteran big man Steven Adams.
Adams started in 75 games for the Grizzlies last season and brought toughness and leadership to the young team. He also led the entire NBA in offensive rebounds with 349. Adams has been rewarded with a two-year contract extension from the team.
Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the contract extension is worth $25.2 million over two years. Adams will now be tied to Memphis for three more years, including the one year remaining on his deal.
Memphis Grizzlies center Steven Adams has agreed on a two-year, $25.2 million contract extension, his agent Darren Matsubara of @wassbasketball tells ESPN. Adams -- an immense culture piece for a young roster -- is now tied to the Grizzlies for three years, $43.1 million.
Adams averaged 6.9 points and 10 rebounds for the Western Conference's No. 2 seed a season ago. His toughness, leadership, passing -- all of it -- makes him indispensable for a franchise trying to take the next step to championship contention.
Adams is more a traditional big who can’t space the floor. This style can disadvantage him in certain matchups come playoff time. But his overall value is still indispensable to Memphis.
Hype grows for Mavericks rookie Jaden Hardy
At one point, Dallas Mavericks rookie guard Jaden Hardy was the second-highest-ranked prospect in his high school class. But after an up-and-down season in the G-League, Hardy fell to the 37th pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. According to general manager Nico Harrison, many draft experts and NBA teams still considered him a first-round talent, including the Mavericks.
“We had him higher than 37. Yeah, we were surprised. We were really shocked that he kept slipping,” Harrison said.
Hardy averaged 19.5 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game for the G-League Ignite last season. However, his poor offensive decision-making and inefficiency contributed to his fall on draft night.
Hardy shot just 37.6% from the field and 30.6% from beyond the arc last season. He posted similar efficiency numbers during the NBA Summer League, 34.7% from the field and 26.9% from three. He also averaged 5.0 turnovers per game.
Nonetheless, Hardy still has a ton of offensive potential and has reportedly been a standout at the Mavericks’ training camp. According to “DallasBasketball.com,” members of the Mavericks’ front office have been remarking about Hardy’s improved decision-making.
They noted Hardy has been doing a better job running the pick-and-roll and finishing in the paint. He’s also been knocking down his jumpers a lot more consistently.
One viral clip of Hardy even showed him pulling off a Shammgod dribble move followed by a Eurostep against Mavericks veteran big man Maxi Kleber.
app.link.nba.com/mavsrtcJaden Hardy bringing the ENERGY to drills in @dallasmavs practice‼
Watch Real Training Camp: Mavericks Live Now on the NBA App
📲 app.link.nba.com/mavsrtc https://t.co/olJQvz1lb3
During the Mavericks' Fan Jam event on Saturday, Hardy finished with 18 points. After the game, he talked about his experience.
“Really, I’m just going out there by keeping the game simple and making the right read and making the simple play,” Hardy said "I felt like just being out there, it was going to come to me. It felt great to be out there playing in front of the fans for the first time and just competing against the guys."
The Mavericks recently lost veteran shot creator and playmaker Jalen Brunson to the New York Knicks in free agency. If Jaden Hardy can continue to progress, he could have a pathway to playing time this season.