NBA Notes: Lakers, Patrick Beverley, Knicks, Trail Blazers

Lakers

Newcomer Patrick Beverley has made it clear he expects the Lakers to make the playoffs, and keep his streak of doing so alive.

“I pride myself on never, ever missing the playoffs,” Beverley said, via Jovan Buha of The Athletic. “Like, I pride myself on little stuff like that. To people that might not be a big thing but for me that is a big thing, obviously, because I am not at All-Star every February. So me making the playoffs, me not making the playoffs, that is a big thing to me and I wear that wholeheartedly on my sleeve. I don’t expect that to change anytime soon.”

Beverley has plenty to say, actually, during his introductory press conference. You can read the highlights right here.

• Guard Kendrick Nunn was recently cleared to take part in contact workouts, coach Darvin Ham said, via Buha. Nunn missed all of last season, his first with the Lakers, with a knee injury.

Knicks

ESPN analyst Jeff Van Gundy doesn’t have high expectations for the Knicks this season, as he revealed in an interview with Marc Berman of the New York Post.

“The Knicks have good players, but you line it up against the competition in the East, and this roster is not on the same level,’’ Van Gundy said, via Berman. “They could shock the world and be a playoff team, but I look at the East and I’d have to say eight to 13 is where they should be predicted. They’re not even close to a lock for the play-in. A lot has to go right.”

Van Gundy coached the Knicks to the Finals in 1999, and later coached the Rockets. This year’s Knicks have so fa only added Jalen Brunson in free agency — failing in trade talks for Donovan Mitchell, who wound up with the Cavaliers.

“The one thing everyone can agree on, if the Knicks are to make a jump in the standings, they have to have a guy — or two guys — to build around,’’ Van Gundy said, via Berman. “They still don’t have that building block, from a star player’s standpoint.”

Trail Blazers

The Trail Blazers have officially signed Devontae Cacok, Olivier Sarr, Isaiah Miller and Jared Rhoden, all to training camp deals, the team announced in a release.

Cacok, 25, is 6-foot-7 and appeared in 15 games with the Spurs last season. He spent the first two years of his career with the Lakers, playing 21 games in LA.

Sarr, 23, is 7-0 and signed two 10-day contracts with the Thunder last season as a rookie, appearing in 22 games and averaging 7.0 points and 4.2 rebounds.

Miller, 24, is 6-0 and signed a similar deal with the Timberwolves last September after going unselected in the 2021 NBA Draft. He then spent the season with the Iowa Wolves of the G League, averaging 12.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 32 games.

Rhoden, 22, is 6-6 and went undrafted out of Seton Hall, where he averaged 15.5 points and 6.7 rebounds last season as a senior.