Atlantic Notes: Barlow, Wade, Bridges, Celtics, Nets
After being diagnosed with a lumbar spine bone stress response and ruled out for at least two weeks on October 19, Sixers forward Dominick Barlow is set to meet with a specialist on Tuesday about his back injury, head coach Nick Nurse told reporters on Monday (Twitter video link via Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports).
While that may sound like an ominous update, Nurse clarified that Barlow has been doing some on-court work and said the hope is that the 76ers will get positive news tomorrow and be able to continue ramping up the 23-year-old’s activity. Noting that Barlow was on the court prior to Monday’s game vs. Chicago, Kris Rhim of ESPN (Twitter link) said the forward looked “explosive.”
Philadelphia has gotten off to a good start without Barlow this season, but having him back would be a boon to the team’s frontcourt depth, given his ability to play some small-ball center.
We have more from around the Atlantic:
- A somewhat overlooked addition during an offseason in which the Sixers also acquired LeBron James and Jaylen Brown, veteran forward Dean Wade has been a key glue guy in the early going, impressing his new teammates and head coach, writes Adam Aaronson of PhillyVoice.com. Nurse said that Wade’s ability as a cutter has been a pleasant surprise, while guard Tyrese Maxey raved about Wade’s “great” all-around impact. “He’s in the position where some nights he’ll start, some nights he won’t start, some nights he’ll play five, some nights he’ll guard Jalen Brunson, he’ll guard KAT (Karl-Anthony Towns),” Maxey said. “He’s – I love Dean Wade.”
- In a subscriber-only story for The New York Post, Stefan Bondy wonders if trading away Mikal Bridges could be the solution to the Knicks’ long-term cap crunch. Bondy makes it clear he’s not advocating for such a deal, but he says it would be preferable to some other outcomes, such as losing Towns in free agency, and he contends that Bridges – rather than Josh Hart – is the most expendable of the team’s five highest-paid players.
- Neemias Queta, who started 75 games for the Celtics last season, reentered the starting lineup on Sunday with Mitchell Robinson getting a day off and was back in the starting five on Monday even with Robinson available, notes Bobby Manning of CLNS Media (Twitter link). Hugo Gonzalez has also gotten his first two starts of the season on Sunday and Monday, taking the place of Jordan Walsh, who – like Robinson – is off to a slow start this fall.
- The Nets are off to a 1-5 start, prompting C.J. Holmes of The New York Daily News to suggest that another slow start after three straight years in the lottery could lead to bigger questions about the club’s competitiveness, accountability, and future. Even if a playoff depth may not be a realistic expectation for the current group, Holmes argues that the evaluation process should “become more demanding” over the course of the season and that the Nets need to give their fans a reason to be optimistic about the future.
Victor Wembanyama, Jayson Tatum Named Players Of The Week
Spurs center Victor Wembanyama has been named the Player of the Week for the Western Conference, while Celtics forward Jayson Tatum has claimed the award in the East, the NBA announced on Monday (via Twitter).
Wembanayama and Tatum earned the awards for the second week (Oct. 26 – Nov. 1) of the season. Grizzlies guard Ty Jerome and Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey won the weekly awards for the season’s first week.
Wembanyama helped San Antonio go 3-0 last week, with victories over Sacramento, Utah and Minnesota. The reigning Defensive Player of the Year filled the box score with averages of 36.0 points, 10.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 2.0 steals and 4.3 blocks in 33.3 minutes per game. His shooting slash line was .567/.333/.786.
Tatum helped Boston go 4-0 last week, with two wins against Chicago and one apiece over Brooklyn and Orlando. The 28-year-old, who missed most of last season with a torn Achilles, hit a game-winner in overtime against the Nets. He averaged 30.3 PPG, 7.0 APG, 5.8 RPG and 0.8 BPG on .447/.292/.836 shooting in 34.8 MPG during his four appearances.
According to the NBA (Twitter link), the other nominees in the West were Kings guard Darius Acuff Jr., Warriors guard Stephen Curry, Lakers guard Luka Doncic and Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg.
Heat forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, Raptors forward Scottie Barnes, Sixers guard Maxey and Cavaliers forward/center Evan Mobley were nominated in the East.
Celtics Notes: Robinson, Queta, Pritchard, Walsh, Hauser
The Celtics’ center rotation remains a work in progress after the team added Mitchell Robinson in free agency this summer, writes Souichi Terada of MassLive. Robinson had a season-high 11 points Friday night against Chicago, but he still finished minus-3 while playing 19 minutes in a 14-point win. He has started all five games this season, but he’s splitting playing time almost equally with Neemias Queta, last year’s starter.
Terada notes that Robinson, who was one of the league’s best offensive rebounders during his time in New York, hasn’t really displayed that part of his game so far. He said during the preseason that the Celtics are using him as a screener in more actions than he’s used to, so he’s still adjusting to the new role. Terada also observes that Robinson is often visibly tired when he checks out of games, but the team hopes that will change as the season wears on.
Queta has also been shaky as he readjusts to a backup role, Terada adds. He hasn’t been rebounding at the level the Celtics need, and foul trouble has been an issue as well.
“It’s just being solid and sound,” Queta said of the fouls. “Those things can’t happen. At the end of the day, I think the team needs me out there on the court more than on the bench. So I think just being able to understand the impact I bring on the court and be smart in those moments.”
There’s more from Boston:
- In addition to scoring 30 points on Friday, Payton Pritchard responded to a challenge from coach Joe Mazzulla to improve his defense and rebounding, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive. “Obviously, I’ve been through some struggles early on in this season and had some poor games and honestly, just the defensive effort and rebounding has been poor, so I’m cleaning up that area,” Pritchard said. “It just leads to more success offensively and just being a complete player. I appreciate Joe testing me and challenging me to be better because the team needs me to be better and that’s what I want, so it’s a good thing.”
- Jordan Walsh improved his three-point shooting to 38.4% last season, but it hasn’t been enough to stop defenders from sagging off him and daring him to shoot from beyond the arc, Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe states in a subscriber-only story. Teams are still willing to take their chances by giving Walsh extra space while they concentrate on stopping other players. “Like, it’s a good and bad thing,” he said. “You know, it’s bad because they can load up and play help. But it’s a good thing because now every shot I get is wide open. So, I take my time to shoot it. There’s no rush.”
- Sam Hauser is a huge fan of the NBA Cup and the early-season test that it provides, Himmelsbach adds in the same piece. “I think it’s great,” Hauser said. “You get sort of a playoff feel in the middle of the season, or I guess at the start of the season. So you saw last year that the Knicks and the Spurs played in the NBA Cup championship, and those two met in the Finals. So, obviously it means something, and we’ve got to be better with getting into the bracket rounds and then advancing after that.”
Celtics Exercise Options On Scheierman, Gonzalez
The Celtics have exercised their rookie scale team options on wings Baylor Scheierman and Hugo Gonzalez for the 2027/28 season, per RealGM’s log of official NBA transactions.
Scheierman, the 30th overall pick in the 2024 draft, was a regular part of Boston’s rotation as a second-year player last season, averaging 5.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 18.6 minutes per game over the course of 77 outings, with a solid shooting line of .453/.399/.903.
Scheierman, who will earn about $2.74MM this season, now has a guaranteed $4.95MM salary for ’27/28. He’ll be eligible for restricted free agency in 2028 if he doesn’t sign a rookie scale extension during the 2027 offseason.
Gonzalez, meanwhile, played rotation minutes for Boston as a rookie after being drafted 28th in 2025. The 6’6″ Spaniard made 74 appearances and contributed 3.9 PPG and 3.3 PG in 14.6 MPG.
Gonzalez’s third-year option for ’27/28 is worth $3.06MM. The Celtics will have until November 1, 2027 to decide whether to pick up their $5.53MM option for the ’28/29 season.
We’re tracking all of this year’s rookie scale team option decisions, which are due on Monday, right here.
Sixers Notes: Brown, Center, LeBron, Embiid, Simons
After a representative for Jaylen Brown denied Brian Scalabrine’s claim that Brown sought a trade out of Boston this offseason and presented the Celtics with a series of demands, the Sixers wing himself dispute Scalabrine’s account on Wednesday.
“I’ve never had any issues with Scal. I love Scal,” Brown said after Philadelphia’s win over the Pacers, per Tony Jones of The Athletic. “But I guess he’s doing what he has to do. I can understand why he feels the need to do that. But I have no interest of letting any false allegations follow me into my next chapter here in Philadelphia. I never demanded a trade. I never made a list of ultimatums. None of the sort. None of that is true.
“But, as of now, I’m just gonna stay focused on what’s in front of me here in Philadelphia. I have a tremendous opportunity, and I’m looking forward to that. So, I’m just going to leave the questions for another time. But, during the season, I’m just going to focus on what’s in front of me.
After asserting during his SiriusXM NBA Radio show on Monday that he heard Brown demanded to be traded, shared a “list of demands” with the Celtics, and was rooting to be sent to Milwaukee, Scalabrine walked back those claims to some extent on NBC Sports Boston later in the day, stating that Brown “technically” didn’t demand a trade and adding that he has “no idea” what the 30-year-old asked of the team.
However, Scalabrine insisted that Brown presented the Celtics with an ultimatum of some sort and claimed on SiriusXM on Tuesday that the former Celtic “wants to be the victim in all of this.”
We have more on the 76ers:
- Jones of The Athletic and Adam Aaronson of PhillyVoice.com both took a closer look this week at the Sixers’ backup center situation, with Jones referring to it as a “significant issue” for the team while Aaronson listed some possible targets in free agency or on the trade market and considered their viability. Dominick Barlow is a potential wild card to watch, given his ability to play small-ball center, Jones notes, but the fifth-year forward remains unavailable due to a back issue.
- While LeBron James and Joel Embiid are still getting used to playing with one another, James has already shown how he can make Embiid’s life easier, according to Aaronson, who suggests that the four-time MVP is the best entry passer the big man ever plays with. “I’m only 6-foot-3,” teammate Tyrese Maxey said, “so when they’re fronting Joel or different things like that, I can’t always see him. So being able to pass the ball to a guy like LeBron… who could see over the defense and make those passes is really good.”
- After missing the preseason with a hamstring injury, Sixers guard Anfernee Simons got off to a slow start for his new team, averaging 6.0 points per game on 25.8% shooting in his first four regular season outings. However, the 27-year-old expressed confidence ahead of Wednesday’s game in Indiana that his shot would come around, writes Chris Hine of The Philadelphia Inquirer (subscription required). “Usually, if I’m struggling for a couple games, I might just want to go on the court, see the ball go through the hoop a whole bunch of times,” he said. “So I might get a whole bunch of reps in or just do 30 minutes, kind of a hard workout just to feel back in rhythm.” Simons’ routine worked, as he hit six three-pointers and scored 20 points on Wednesday in his best game as a 76er.
Celtics Notes: Carter, Pritchard, Tatum, Brown
Devin Carter has rejoined the Celtics after a bout of mononucleosis had kept him sidelined for the start of the season, Bobby Manning reports for CLNS Media (via Twitter).
While Carter is able to once again be in the locker room and be around the team, he’s still unavailable as he recovers from the illness, so he has yet to make his regular season debut for Boston.
The Celtics added the 24-year-old former lottery pick on an Exhibit 10 contract, which they later converted to a two-way deal ahead of the season opener. The defensive-minded guard was originally picked 13th overall in the 2024 draft by the Kings, but struggled to find a place in the rotation due to injuries and an inconsistent offense.
We have more from the Celtics:
- Payton Pritchard has become a favorite among fans, teammates, and front office members alike during his seven seasons in Boston. He has also taken on an unexpected title, according to Hallie Grossman of ESPN: the team’s iso king. The 6’1″ guard led the NBA in effective field goal percentage in isolation situations last season, a product of the countless hours of intensive off-season work he puts into perfecting his craft. For his efforts, he has been recognized by one of the greatest isolation scorers the NBA has ever seen, when Allen Iverson called him “the coldest white boy I’ve ever seen.” With the departure of Jaylen Brown, Pritchard’s isolation prowess is more important to the team than ever, as the Celtics have fewer ball handlers to get into the wheeling-and-dealing style of hunting for threes that has made them such a regular-season juggernaut over the last few years.
- Jayson Tatum has been through a lot of basketball upheaval since rupturing his Achilles during the 2025 playoffs, but he cemented his return with a buzzer-beating game-winner against the Nets in overtime on Tuesday, Jay King writes for The Athletic. After the win, Tatum didn’t shy away from the feelings that came with the play afterwards. “That was a hell of a feeling, just kind of getting back to doing things that I used to do before I was injured,” he said. “And sharing that moment with my teammates on the court, seeing them rally and be excited for me.” It was the first 40-point game Tatum has recorded since the injury, as well as the most minutes (42) he has played in that timeframe. “I’m 18 months out from when I tore my Achilles,” he continued. “And there’s certain moments throughout a game, on and off the ball, where I’m doing a cut or exploding or just doing something that something in my mind clicks, and like ‘Oh, you know, that feeling is really starting to feel like, you know, pre-injury.’ And results, make or miss the shot, I get really excited about some of the movements that I make throughout the game.”
- Although Jaylen Brown is no longer a Celtic, he continues to be the subject of much discussion in Boston — conflicting reports about whether he demanded a trade out of Boston, as well as various recent remarks made by him and Tatum, have kept the relationship between the two longtime Celtics stars in the news. Brown’s claim that “there’s no beef (with Tatum), but it might be a little lamb chops and gravy” have caused confusion among league figures, according to Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated, who looks back at the pair’s complicated relationship and considers how it got to this point.
New York Notes: Brown, Demin, Jent, Knicks Stocks
The Nets had the assets to acquire Jaylen Brown from the Celtics before he wound up in Philadelphia. However, Brooklyn wasn’t interested in pursuing the All-Star forward, Brian Lewis of the New York Post reports (subscription required).
The Celtics approached the Nets on a potential Brown deal and he was more than willing to join the Nets, but Brooklyn chose not to pursue him, as Lewis explains.
Despite reports linking Michael Porter Jr., Day’Ron Sharpe and draft assets to a potential Brown deal, the Nets passed on Brown. Brooklyn’s brass was concerned that the five-time All-Star would become a distraction, Lewis writes, similar to the issues the Nets had with Kyrie Irving during his time in the organization. Brown and Irving are close friends.
“They weren’t lowballing,” a source told Lewis. “They just shut it down altogether. They just said, ‘We’re not interested.’”
Here’s more on the New York teams:
- Nets guard Egor Demin left the team’s overtime loss to Boston on Tuesday early due to a right leg contusion. Demin, who had two points and two assists in 10 minutes before departing, downplayed the injury after the game, per Lewis (Twitter link). “I’ll be good,” he said. “I mean, it’s nothing serious, so I’ll be ready to go.”
- Knicks assistant coach Chris Jent will be away from the team for an undisclosed period of time due to personal reasons, according to the New York Post’s Jared Schwartz and Stefan Bondy. Jent is an associate head coach who is in charge of the offense under Mike Brown. He hasn’t been on the bench for the last three games, including their victory over the Pistons on Tuesday. Assistant T.J. Saint has filled his role on the front of the bench during that span.
- The Knicks and the NHL’s New York Rangers have been officially split into two separately publicly traded companies by MSG Sports, The Athletic’s Mike Vorkunov reports. Both franchises will continue to be run by James Dolan as their CEO and executive chairman. The Knicks and the G League’s Westchester Knicks are now owned by MSG Knickerbockers Corp., while the Rangers, AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack and the MSG training facility are owned by MSG Rangers Corp. Knicks shares are going for approximately $300 apiece.
Rep For Jaylen Brown Denies Claim He Demanded Trade From Celtics
A representative for Sixers wing Jaylen Brown disputed a report that he sought a trade out of Boston or presented the Celtics with a list of demands, according to Kris Rhim of ESPN, who says the source referred to that claim as “10000% a lie.”
In the wake of a recent back and forth involving former Celtics teammates Brown and Jayson Tatum, NBC Sports Boston analyst Brian Scalabrine said on SiriusXM NBA Radio on Monday (Twitter audio link) that he heard Brown “demanded” to be traded, shared a “list of demands” with the organization, and was “rooting” to be sent to Milwaukee.
That account stands in stark contrast with reporting at the time of the offseason deal that sent Brown from Boston to Philadelphia. Back on July 1, several NBA insiders, including ESPN’s Shams Charania, reported that the former Finals MVP didn’t request a trade and suggested the Celtics’ efforts to move him were initiated by the front office.
The representative for Brown who spoke to Rhim conveyed a similar message, telling ESPN that the five-time All-Star never asked to be traded to the Bucks and that after a potential deal involving Giannis Antetokounmpo fell through and Boston continued its efforts to move Brown, his only request was to have input on his eventual destination.
Revisiting his SiriusXM NBA Radio remarks later in the day on NBC Sports Boston, Scalabrine backed off his original claim to some extent, stating that Brown “technically” didn’t demand a trade and adding that he has “no idea” what the 30-year-old asked of the team (Twitter video link).
“I don’t know what the ultimatum was or the demands or whatever it was,” Scalabrine said. “So technically, he did not demand to be traded. It was, ‘Do these things right here or else.’ And one of them might have been, ‘Give me the $140 million extension.’ I haven’t gotten to the bottom of all that. I didn’t even know this was going to be a thing. It’s one of those things that lived in my mind for months. I finally used it because we were talking about the weirdest stuff, and now it’s out there.”
While reporting in June and July didn’t indicate that Brown requested a trade, there was speculation at the time that the Celtics were worried that including him in the offer for Antetokounmpo would create a fracture between the team and the star wing that would be hard to repair — especially after rumors about his possible discontent had surfaced earlier in the offseason. If the front office believed a new contract extension might be necessary to mend fences between the two sides, that could align with Scalabrine’s interpretation of how the situation played out.
Atlantic Notes: Mazzulla, Tatum, Brown, Embiid, Barrett, Nets
Asked about the recent back and forth between Celtics forward Jayson Tatum and his former teammate — and current Sixers wing — Jaylen Brown, Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said that while he’ll always be grateful for what Brown did for the team, he’s focused on the present rather than the past, according to Jay King of The Athletic.
“Those two guys, they were together for (nine seasons), and they had great, great moments together,” Mazzulla said. “And at the end of the day, nobody is perfect. We all can be better. We all did great things. We all did things that we want to be better at. So I think it’s more just focusing on the greatness that those two were able to achieve and the fact that they’re both great people.
“They’re different in how they play the game. They’re different in how they handle things. They’re just — they’re different. It doesn’t mean that it’s good or bad. They’re just different. So you focus on the high character. We’re focused on Jayson because he’s with us, he plays for us, he’s our guy. We’re grateful for what Jaylen did in the past, but our focus goes to Jayson, who he is as a player, who he is as a person, and then we just move on from there.”
Mazzulla seemed to express some impatience with the topic after repeated questions about the dynamic between Tatum and Brown, King writes.
“I’m trying to handle this as best I can,” Mazzulla said. “I feel like I’ve answered it. Like, he’s a former Celtic. He left the place in a better place. We’re grateful. Every Celtic is welcome in this building. It doesn’t matter who it is. It doesn’t matter. We’re focused on the current Celtics. We’re focused on Jayson Tatum. … We’re focused on this team. …
“I’m not trying to be disrespectful. I feel like I’ve answered it as best as I could over the course of four months. It’s just not about that anymore. At the same time, I understand in the media realm there’s always going to be side stories. But that’s kind of as a team where we’re at.”
Here’s more from the Atlantic:
- Sixers center Joel Embiid lobbied to be active for Sunday’s contest vs. Detroit — the second game of a back-to-back — but he won’t get his wish, per Kris Rhim of ESPN. Embiid made the comments after Saturday’s win over Milwaukee, when he had a triple-double. He’ll be out Sunday with what the team called right foot plantar fasciitis management. Jabari Walker (knee) will also be out, leaving the 76ers with few options in the middle, Rhim notes.
- In part because of the team’s financial situation, Raptors wing RJ Barrett has been considered a potential odd man out in Toronto. However, Barrett showed in the playoffs how valuable he can be when asked to play a primary offensive role, and he’s off to a strong start in 2026/27, according to Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca (Twitter video link), who says the team “better have a good plan B” if it trades Barrett or lets him walk in free agency, because he is “not expendable.”
- The Nets fell to 0-2 after Saturday’s loss in Cleveland, but Egor Demin and Mikel Brown Jr. offered glimpses of hope for the future when they shared the court during a fourth quarter comeback bid that fell short, writes C.J. Holmes of The New York Daily News. Demin struggled in the season opener and only had seven points through three quarters on Saturday, but finished with 22 points, six assists and four rebounds after 15 points in the final period. “I can’t wait to spend more time with him on the court,” Demin said of Brown, who’s on a minutes restriction following a preseason ankle injury.
Sixers Notes: Brown, Tatum, LeBron, Embiid, Walker
Jayson Tatum keeps trying to smooth things over with Jaylen Brown, but his former Celtics teammate doesn’t seem ready to bury the hatchet. After Brown had a negative reaction to Tatum’s perspective on the trade that sent him to the Sixers, Tatum tried to quash the dispute following Friday night’s game with New York, writes Jay King of The Athletic.
“For me, it’s like I don’t have any animosity or beef or ill will towards him,” Tatum said. “And I think the frustrating part is since he’s not with the Celtics anymore, the narrative or conversations haven’t been enough about what we’ve accomplished, all the games we won, winning a championship, how we’ve grown together. And it’s turned into this drama type of thing.”
Tatum told reporters that he called and texted Brown on the day of the trade, adding, “At this point in our lives, we’re too old to be having our relationship discussed X, Y and Z on the internet.” He also said, “This ain’t no f—ing Shaq and Kobe. Like, there’s no beef.”
Asked about those comments after the Sixers’ game on Saturday, Brown responded, “He’s got a great PR team. There’s no beef … but there might be some lamb chops and gravy” (Twitter video link from ESPN’s Dave McMenamin).
There’s more from Philadelphia:
- With another contest looming Sunday night, LeBron James sat out his first game since joining the Sixers, per Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer (subscription required). The official reason was to manage his lower back and sciatica, but at age 41, James is unlikely to play in any back-to-backs this season. Dean Wade, who has been dealing with an ankle issue, made his Sixers debut on Saturday and replaced James in the starting lineup.
- With James unavailable, Joel Embiid took a greater role in facilitating the offense and finished with the 11th triple-double of his career, Mizell adds in a separate story. Embiid played 36 minutes tonight, so he’ll likely miss Sunday’s game, although coach Nick Nurse said that decision hasn’t been made yet. Embiid was lobbying to be active in his postgame session with reporters, relays Kris Rhim of ESPN (Twitter link). “I actually wanna play tomorrow,” he said. “Can you guys put some pressure on them?”
- Jabari Walker, who has been seeing time as a small-ball center, didn’t return after leaving the game in the third quarter, Rhim adds (Twitter video link). Nurse said Walker “tweaked” his left knee, but didn’t provide any other details.