NBA Training Camps 2020: Top Comments, Injury News Ahead of Seeding Games

We're entering the last full week of training camps before the NBA restart officially resumes with seeding games on July 30.

In even better news, we'll begin to see scrimmages as soon as this Wednesday, when the Orlando Magic face off against the LA Clippers at 3:00 p.m. ET in the first preseason game.

This will be the first live game of basketball since the NBA suspended the season because of the coronavirus pandemic on March 11, following Rudy Gobert's positive test for COVID-19. 

Each of the 22 teams in the "bubble" at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex outside of Orlando, Florida, for the season's resumption will play eight seeding games—the same as regular-season matchups—in preparation for the shortened playoffs.

Most teams are looking to use the upcoming games to regain some team chemistry and get back into the groove of competitive game play.

The Houston Chronicle's Jonathan Feigen detailed the Rockets' mindset:

"For the Rockets, who returned to the practice court Sunday morning after Saturday's off day, the hope was that this week's scrimmages with opposing teams combined with the following week's start of actual games will foster sustained intensity."

Here's a look at some of the top storylines entering this week.

Players Leaving Orlando Bubble

JJ Redick's Comment to Zion Williamson

New Orleans lost its rising star for an indeterminate amount of time on Thursday when rookie Zion Williamson left the bubble to tend to a family emergency.

Not only is this a huge loss for the Pelicans, but also to the NBA generally—as many have speculated that Williamson's larger-than-life presence played a part in the structuring of the restart format. 

"As much as it hurts to say, we've done it before," Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday said of not having Williamson to begin the restart, according to NBA.com. "We've done it where he's been out for a little bit this season. We're obviously excited to have him out there on the court, but with him gone and taking care of his family, we're holding down the fort for him. He's our brother and he needs to take care of his family, take care of his business, but this is nothing new."

JJ Redick—team leader and fellow Duke product—detailed what he said to Williamson following his departure on The JJ Redick Podcast on Thursday:

"I reached out to Zion and I told him we're going to do our best to hold it down for him until he gets back, whenever that is. As a teammate, he is a family member so we'll do our best to keep this thing rolling. Whatever is going on, we want the best for him. I feel awful for him because so much of this season has been a rollercoaster for him and it seemed like he was in such a good place so, hopefully, we get him back soon."

After Williamson sat out the beginning of the season as he recovered from surgery to repair his meniscus, he proved that his college hype translated to the big leagues by averaging 23.6 points and 6.8 rebounds on 58.9 percent shooting from the field over the course of 19 games. So, while the Pelicans are used to playing without him, his presence will be sorely missed.

NBA.com's Shaun Powell explained what the process for Williamson to get back into the bubble to begin playing games after he has taken care of his family matter would look like:

"Your next questions—when will he return, will he miss games and if so how many—are unanswered for now. He'll need to quarantine for four days if he's gone less than a week to keep with NBA campus protocol. If he is gone longer than a week, he will still quarantine for four days if he has a negative test for the final seven days he is gone. If he doesn't have the required testing, he will quarantine for 10 days."

Montrezl Harrell's Emotional Message

Another player who had to leave the NBA season restart for family reasons was Los Angeles Clippers center Montrezl Harrell.

The Athletic's Shams Charania reported on Friday that Harell had "departed from the Orlando bubble for an emergency family matter."

In the hours following that, the 26-year-old posted a message to his Instagram that made it seem as though the family emergency had to do with his grandmother, as well as stating that he wasn't "built for this":

Similar to Williamson, there's no timetable to Harrell's return to the bubble, and he'll possibly have to quarantine when he does. The center is a valuable asset off the bench for the Clippers, averaging 18.6 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 63 games before the 2019-20 season was suspended.

Injury Impacts on NBA Restart

Sacramento Kings' De'Aaron Fox

On Wednesday of last week, Sacramento took another hit when point guard De'Aaron Fox sprained his left ankle while practicing. The severity of his injury wasn't shared, but it was bad enough for him to undergo an MRI and will keep him sidelined for at least seven to 10 days.

After that, the 22-year-old will be re-evaluated; however, there's a chance he'll miss the first game against the Spurs on July 31 if he isn't given the all-clear.

How will this impact the Kings in the limited number of games they have to make a push for a playoff berth?

Well, Fox led the team in both scoring and assists before the season was cut short in March, meaning the Kings' ability to win games may be in jeopardy. He averaged a career-high 20.4 points per game, 6.8 assists and 4.0 rebounds on 47.5 percent shooting.

"[He's] someone I've called the head of our snake multiple times this season," coach Luke Walton said earlier this week, according to James Ham of NBC Sports Bay Area. "We put a lot on his plate, but he's got that ability to be one of those players."

However, in the meantime, Walton will most likely rely on veteran Corey Joseph—a wall on defense with enough experience to make him a valuable leader on the floor in the playmaker's absence.

Memphis Grizzlies' Grayson Allen

What difference can Grayson Allen make in the Grizzlies' rotation when they resume play on July 31?

The guard was indefinitely sidelined back in January after he landed on his leg awkwardly and suffered a hip injury in a game against the Pistons. While he was not supposed to recover in time to play again this season, the NBA suspension has given him more time to recover.

According to the Commercial Appeal's Evan Barnes, Allen may find himself playing in the resumption of the season, which Barnes detailed in his breakdown of what the team will look like as the season restarts:

"Allen was supposed to be out for the season with a hip injury, but he's been practicing in Orlando and regaining his conditioning. He was finding his rhythm off the bench before his injury, but with Josh Jackson's emergence, can he reclaim his spot in the rotation?"

The Duke alum played an average of 16.6 minutes in 30 games before his injury, notching 7.4 points per game, 2.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists in the process. He seemed to be getting more comfortable in his role with Memphis than he was in Utah before his injury broke his momentum.

Josh Jackson did really well for himself in Allen's absence, averaging 10.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1,7 assists—meaning the two may be left fighting for minutes in the Grizzlies' seeding games.

Stats courtesy of Basketball Reference