Near season’s end, veteran forward Blake Griffin, who has gone from superstar to end-of-bench role player, pulled Williams aside and commended him for learning how to be a pro when things did not go his way. Williams acknowledges that he did not handle himself perfectly, but he gained valuable lessons. “I had a two-week span of being unprofessional, which I look back on and I’m disappointed in myself with,” Williams said. “I had to be able to realize that being professional isn’t just about when you’re having success. It’s also about your darkest days.” -via Boston Globe / July 15, 2023

Ric Bucher on Zion Williamson: Where are the floaters, up and under layups, his pull up jumpers at the elbow? Now from what I’ve been told, he’s shown no interest in developing any of those tricks. Tricks that Blake Griffin learned along with a decent three-point shot when the injuries started to pile up for him, and allowed him to single-handedly drag the Detroit Pistons to a playoff berth. It may not seem as impressive as what he did with the Clippers in his heyday, but to me, what he did with Detroit was a true reflection of how he learned to play the game when he no longer had that freakish athleticism. -via Apple Podcasts / July 10, 2023

HoopsHype: FYI Russell Westbrook will go from a salary of $47 million last season to roughly $4 million this year. That’s easily the biggest paycut in NBA history, beating the previous record by Blake Griffin. Not that Russ is hurting for money, though. (Career earnings: $339 million). -via Twitter @hoopshype / July 2, 2023