Kenny Lofton Jr. has agreed to sign a one-year deal with the Chicago Bulls. Lofton will have a chance to compete for a roster spot with the Bulls in training camp.
Lofton is represented by Mike George, Shayaun Saee and Corey Barker.
Lofton appeared in 21 games last season with the Memphis Grizzlies, Philadelphia 76ers and Utah Jazz. Lofton went undrafted in 2022 out of Louisiana Tech.
As the NBA continues to find ways to increase player availability for key and high-profile games, that has led to more back-to-backs being scheduled in 2024-25. Teams average 14.9 back-to-back games in next season’s schedule, which is up slightly from last season. That figure is still down considerably from a decade ago.
This season, the league has arranged the schedule to make sure no team is on a back-to-back ahead of opening week national TV games, holiday games (Christmas and MLK) and before Saturday night showcase games on ABC throughout the season. In addition, no NBA Cup games will be played as the second game of a back-to-back.
A group of 11 teams have the most back-to-back games scheduled at 16 occurrences. This group includes the Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets, LA Clippers, Milwaukee Bucks, New Orleans Pelicans, Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns, Sacramento Kings and Washington Wizards.
A group of six teams have the fewest back-to-back games scheduled at 13 occurrences. This group includes the Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers, Orlando Magic and Portland Trail Blazers.
There are no instances of four-in-five games. The NBA has worked to eliminate those situations over the years.
The Washington Wizards drafted three players in the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft. The trio of Alex Sarr, Bub Carrington and Kyshawn George will join 2023 first-rounder Bilal Coulibaly to make up Washington’s young core.
That group has Wizards coach Brian Keefe excited to work with them. Keefe said there is a clear first goal for his young players.
“Establishing habits, No. 1,” Keefe said. “I said the same last year with Bilal, you teach them the professional habits and how to work in this league. It’s the only way you get better is to have consistent work habits and approach to everything you’re doing. That will be our No. 1 focus for those guys.”
On Sarr, who was the second overall pick, Keefe said the Wizards want to see him with the ball a lot.
“He’s got the ability to be a three-level scorer at some point. But one thing that has stood out to us is his ability to see the game and read the game. He’s a good passer, so we want the ball in his hands to explore those opportunities for him to make plays for himself and others,” Keefe said of the 7-footer.
As for Carrington, the Wizards see him as able to play a lot of different roles.
“We’re going to play a little bit positionless to where a lot of people will handle and make decisions. We look at him as a guard who can make plays for himself and for others. You can see that he’s a multi-talented guy who’s a good rebounder that can push it in transition. We’ll see him handle playing on and off the ball,” Keefe said about Carrington.
