Week 9 brings about another day that’s devoid of any action, as the entire NBA will be off for Christmas Eve. Three days will have at least 10 games on the schedule, culminating with a 13-game Saturday. Let’s take a look ahead at the Week 9 schedule breakdown and some of its noteworthy storylines, beginning with the return of Ja Morant.
Week 9 Games Played
4 Games: ATL, BKN, CHI, CLE, DAL, DEN, HOU, IND, LAC, LAL, MEM, MIN, SAC, TOR, UTA
3 Games: BOS, CHA, DET, GSW, MIA, MIL, NOR, NYK, OKC, ORL, PHI, POR, SAS, WAS
2 Games: PHO
Week 9 Storylines
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- Ja Morant makes his return from suspension
Morant’s 25-game suspension will conclude on Monday as the Grizzlies visit the Thunder in the first game of a back-to-back. He’ll make his season debut the following night in New Orleans, giving the struggling Grizzlies a welcome boost in the talent department. With Derrick Rose recently being sidelined by a sore hamstring, the Grizzlies are likely to be light on numbers at that position.
How Morant’s presence impacts the usages of Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. is something to monitor; as productive as they’ve been individually, they can certainly use a player like Morant to play off of. Marcus Smart (foot) was expected to get some 5-on-5 reps this weekend, so it’s possible that he also returns during Week 9. Memphis plays four games in Week 9, beginning with that road back-to-back and ending with games against the Pacers (Thursday) and Hawks (Saturday).
- Fringe Suns could still have value despite a two-game week
Phoenix is the only team that will play two games in Week 9, but the way in which their schedule is set up could preserve the value of guys who would be automatic “drops” under normal circumstances. Bradley Beal (ankle) exited Friday’s loss to the Knicks during the first quarter and is looking at another extended absence. Grayson Allen becomes a more valuable option in fantasy, especially with Phoenix playing its two games on lighter nights during Week 9 (Tuesday and Friday). Only four games are on Tuesday’s schedule, and six will be played on Friday. With Josh Okogie, Eric Gordon, and Nassir Little also at less than full strength, Jordan Goodwin is another player who will merit consideration on those lighter game days.
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- Who will step up in Cleveland?
The Cavaliers will head into Week 9 without two starters, as Darius Garland (jaw) and Evan Mobley (knee) have been ruled out for extended periods. With four games on the schedule for Week 9, Caris LeVert is the most obvious fantasy target. Dean Wade, Isaac Okoro, and Georges Niang will be worth a look in deeper leagues, while Craig Porter Jr. could be back on the fantasy radar due to Garland’s absence. The rookie out of Wichita State played well while the Cavaliers were without Garland and Donovan Mitchell in mid-November.
- Can Dante Exum continue his hot streak in Dallas?
Injuries to multiple perimeter rotation players, most notably Kyrie Irving, propelled Exum up the pecking order in Dallas. And he’s responded by playing some of the best basketball of his NBA career. Rostered in 43% of Yahoo leagues, he’s been a 4th-round player in 9-cat formats over the last two weeks, according to Basketball Monster. Irving and Josh Green are without concrete timelines for return, which should protect Exum’s streaming value in the short term. Dallas plays four times in Week 9, with Friday’s game against the Rockets being the only one not played on one of the double-figure game nights.
- Warriors continue to pick up the pieces without Draymond
Draymond Green was suspended indefinitely for the hit he delivered to Jusuf Nurkic in a December 12 loss to the Suns, and he’ll have some parameters to meet before he gets cleared to return. Add to that the struggles of Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins, and the loss in Phoenix felt like an inflection point of sorts for the Warriors. Wiggins was benched for the December 14 loss to the Clippers, with Brandin Podziemski and Jonathan Kuminga moving into the starting lineup. Those two young players, along with Moses Moody, have performed well at times this season, and they’re worth rostering in deep leagues at a minimum. Golden State plays three games in Week 9, two of which will be played on the lighter game nights of Tuesday and Friday.
- Will Pacers’ Haliburton have to miss more time?
A bruised left knee sidelined Tyrese Haliburton for Saturday’s game against the Timberwolves, with T.J. McConnell replacing him in the starting lineup. The Pacers play four games in Week 9, beginning with Monday’s matchup with the Pistons, so it’s fair to wonder if Haliburton will have to miss additional time. If so, the Wednesday/Thursday back-to-back against the Hornets and Grizzlies is something to be mindful of, even the former being one of the busier days of the game week (10 games; 8 on Thursday). McConnell’s fantasy value, which already received a slight boost due to the absence of Andrew Nembhard, would receive another if Haliburton remains sidelined. Also, Bruce Brown and Buddy Hield will be asked to take on more playmaking responsibilities.
Light Game Days
Tuesday: 4 Games
MEM vs. NOR
SAS vs. MIL
BOS vs. GSW
PHO vs. POR
Sunday: 0 Games
Week 9 Back-to-backs
Monday-Tuesday: MEM
Tuesday-Wednesday: BOS
Wednesday-Thursday: CHI, CLE, IND, LAC, LAL, MIN, ORL, UTA
Thursday-Friday: WAS
Friday-Saturday: ATL, BKN, DAL, DEN, GSW, HOU, SAC, TOR
Saturday-Sunday: None
Sunday-Monday (Week 10): None
