Wolves

Chris Hine's NBA short takes

November 28, 2018 at 5:51AM

• Shortly after Jimmy Butler's arrival in Philadelphia, one of the potential building blocks of the franchise reportedly wants out of town. Markelle Fultz, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 draft, wants to be traded, according to multiple reports, though Fultz's agent told ESPN no such request was made. In the meantime, Fultz's broken shot remains a subject of concern. Fultz was set to see a doctor about his injured shoulder that could be contributing to his shooting troubles. How wise do the Celtics look for trading that pick to the 76ers and taking Jayson Tatum at No. 3?

• But the Celtics, who play the Wolves on Saturday, have had their own issues this season. Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward just haven't meshed well with a team that challenged for the Eastern Conference title last season. Boston is 11-10, including a home loss to the woeful Knicks, and has the fifth-worst offensive rating. "You're almost at that rock-bottom point where the team is about to blow up," Irving said, according to Sports Illustrated. "Not saying that we're there, but for me there is no more time to waste."

• After some early-season drama, including team president Magic Johnson dressing down coach Luke Walton in a meeting, the Lakers were 7-2 in their past nine entering Tuesday. One reason for their turnaround? The unlikely renaissance of JaVale McGee. He is averaging 13.2 points per game and is scoring in double figures for the first time since the 2011-12 season. He is shooting 63 percent from the field, the second-highest rate of his career, and averaging 6.5 rebounds, his most since 2011-12.