NBA Player News

Hansbrough hit 2-of-6 shots and added a steal in 15 minutes. He was marginalized by Lou Amundson (21 points, eight rebounds), which is both an excuse and indictment at the same time. Hansbrough needs to post another productive line before we give him any love.

Bronny will travel with the Lakers on their upcoming road trip from October 28 to November 6. After that, he’ll split time between the G League affiliate and the parent club. It’s not a surprising development, and it has no bearing on fantasy hoops. Bronny shouldn’t have been on fantasy rosters before this update.

Ware logged just six minutes in Miami’s season opener, so his availability won’t have an impact on fantasy hoops managers’ lineup decisions.

All of Curry, Green and Melton should handle their typical roles in Friday’s matchup against Utah. Melton will likely play the fewest minutes, though he provided a useful fantasy line of 11 points, two rebounds, four assists, three steals and two triples across 19 minutes Wednesday against Portland.

Miller sustained the injury in Wednesday’s opener against Houston, and he’ll be out until at least November 1. That means Miller will miss Charlotte’s next three games at minimum with a chance to return for one or both of the team’s back-to-back games against Boston on November 1 and November 2. Miller’s absence freed up additional playing time for Tre Mann (24 points, six rebounds, four triples in 29 minutes) and Seth Curry (seven points, two rebounds, two triples in 26 minutes), though Mann is the preferred streamer for as long as Miller is out.

Murray’s debut for New Orleans ended in terrible fashion, and he’ll be on the sidelines until the end of November at the earliest. While he’s sidelined, CJ McCollum could take over as the team’s starting PG, which means Jordan Hawkins could move into the first unit alongside McCollum, Brandon Ingram, Zion Williamson and Herb Jones. Jose Alvarado should see more run off the bench, and Trey Murphy III (hamstring) could be more involved once he’s back on the court.

Sacramento adding DeMar DeRozan to the roster this summer means there may not be as many instances of Sabonis bringing up the ball and initiating offense. That’s a bit concerning, given that he averaged a career-high 8.2 assists per game last season. Sabonis finished Thursday’s loss with one while committing four turnovers. Overall, Domas should be fine regarding fantasy value. However, the assist output will impact the ceiling if it decreases sharply.

This was an encouraging stat line for fantasy managers. Not only did Murray lead the team in minutes (tied with DeMar DeRozan), but he was second in field-goal attempts. With DeRozan joining the lineup this summer, there was concern that Murray’s fantasy ceiling could be lower. There’s a lot more basketball to play, but the usage on Thursday was good to see.

DeRozan’s official Kings debut was solid, thanks primarily to his ability to get to the foul line. He attempted 14 of Sacramento’s 35 free throws on the night and was the only player for either team to hit double digits in points from the stripe. DeRozan won’t offer much 3-point production, so consistent trips to the line drive up his value as a scorer.

While Huerter was cleared for full contact on October 11, it was more than a week later when he finally participated fully in practice. So, it’s unsurprising that his playing time was limited in Thursday’s opener. Malik Monk (17 points, one rebound, four assists, and one 3-pointer in 26 minutes) is the superior fantasy option despite coming off the bench, while Huerter’s return drops Keon Ellis (two points, one rebound, and two steals in 11 minutes) off of most boards.

Fox put up a solid assist tally and didn’t miss a free throw, but the efficiency was lacking in Sacramento’s season opener. He was just 1-of-4 from beyond the arc, and adding DeMar DeRozan means the shots will be more evenly distributed among four of Sacramento’s five starters. Tallying more assists can protect some of Fox’s fantasy value, but the lineup change makes the percentages more critical. Also noteworthy from Thursday’s game was Fox exiting momentarily after banging knees with Donte DiVincenzo. While he did return to action, don’t be surprised if Fox shows up on the injury report ahead of Saturday’s game against the Lakers.