NBA Notes: Wizards, Cam Whitmore, Lakers, LeBron James, Sixers

Wizards

No Bilal Coulibaly (lower left leg tightness). No Kyshawn George (illness). So Friday in Cleveland should have been a natural opening for Cam Whitmore.

Instead, he played five minutes of the Wizards’ blowout loss to the Cavaliers — and all came in the first quarter.

Varun Shankar of The Washington Post noted it’s now four straight games that Whitmore’s minutes have dropped.

Coach Brian Keefe said before the game that Whitmore wasn’t being cut for performance, saying, “Cam’s going to continue to play, he’s doing good.”

Yet Jamir Watkins, Corey Kispert, Justin Champagnie and Will Riley all played more against the Cavs.

After the game, Keefe said he wanted to see how other guys — especially Watkins — respond to rotation minutes.

Washington gave up two second-rounders to get Whitmore from Houston this summer. He’s still only 21 and eligible for a rookie-scale extension next offseason. But the usage trend is heading the wrong direction.

Nevertheless, there were positives on Friday. Sixth overall pick Tre Johnson drew his first career start and scored 18 on 7-for-11 shooting.

And second-year big Alex Sarr is quietly one of the few bright spots in the rotation right now. He’s averaging 19.0 points, 8.4 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2.3 blocks while shooting .540/.455/.800 through eight games.

Off the court, players see meaningful changes too. Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman detailed improved travel, a traveling chef and upgraded logistics under head of basketball operations Michael Winger and GM Will Dawkins.

“Everything changed when (Winger and Dawkins) showed up,” Kispert said. “It adds up to a lot. Ultimately, the little things are what make the player experience special.”

Lakers

JJ Redick said LeBron James has been cleared for contact and is doing one-on-one work with coaches, per Khobi Price of the Orange County Register.

There’s even a possibility he practices with the Lakers’ G League affiliate as part of the ramp-up, though Redick stressed that’s not locked in.

76ers

Paul George will meet with doctors this weekend, Sixers coach Nick Nurse told reporters. He added that if the “final hurdle” looks good, George could finally debut soon.

He hasn’t played yet after offseason knee surgery, but has been a full practice participant for more than two weeks.

Dominick Barlow (right elbow procedure) will miss the weekend back-to-back. He has a follow-up Monday.