NBA Player News

Shelden Williams left earlier with an eye injury, as the Nets are running out of big men. In other words, it’s Johan Petro time, although he’s probably not good enough to be grabbed in fantasy leagues.

While Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo did what was expected of them in Miami’s 131-109 victory, the Heat also received solid production from Robinson and Davion Mitchell (20 points, six assists, two steals, and five three-pointers). Robinson shooting 6-of-13 from three isn’t stunning, but the six assists were the most he’s had in a game since January 17 (seven vs. Denver). However, this performance doesn’t change much for Robinson’s fantasy outlook, as he has been ranked well outside the top 150 in eight- and nine-cat formats over the past two weeks. Unless you need a three-point specialist who can provide added assist value every so often, there’s no need to add Robinson after Wednesday’s effort.

After shooting 1-of-6 from three in a February 22 loss to the Jazz, Brooks was 9-of-16 in wins over the Bucks and Spurs. The inconsistent offensive production is why he’s rostered in just 22 percent of Yahoo! leagues. Regarding fantasy value, the output over the past month (15th-round in eight-cat) has aligned with his season-long production. And that’s with Fred VanVleet and Jabari Smith Jr. missing extended periods due to injury. Brooks is more valuable to the Rockets than he is to fantasy managers.

Green added another 20-point game to his tally, extending his run to 11 such stat lines in his last 14 outings. Fantasy managers will also benefit from the rebound and assist totals in Wednesday’s victory, but the continued lack of defensive production limits Green’s ceiling in category leagues. Over the past month, he has provided 11th-round value in eight-cat formats. He remains a better player to have rostered in points leagues than category leagues due to the efficiency, even if that wasn’t a problem against the Spurs.

After providing modest fantasy value before being ejected from Tuesday’s win over the Bucks, Thompson redeemed himself on Wednesday. The Rockets guard shot 80 percent from the field against the Spurs and provided solid value in the rebounds, assists and steals categories. Over the past month, Thompson has provided top 25 value in eight- and nine-cat formats. With Fred VanVleet closing in on a return from his ankle injury, it’s fair to wonder what the Rockets starting lineup will be when that time comes. Given how well he has played, moving Thompson back to the bench won’t be easy.

Sochan’s Wednesday night in Houston ended prematurely, as he was hit in the head during the second quarter and did not return. His exit resulted in more rotation minutes for Sandro Mamukelashvili, who finished with 12 points, four rebounds, three steals and two three-pointers in 20 minutes. Even if Sochan has to miss time, there isn’t much to gain from adding Mamukelashvili, whose production has been inconsistent since the Spurs lost Victor Wembanyama for the rest of the season.

Castle finished Wednesday’s defeat tied for the team-high in points with Keldon Johnson, but the rookie struggled from deep. He shot 1-of-7 from three and is 2-of-16 since the All-Star break. It’s fair to wonder if the busy weekend in San Francisco has been a factor, as Castle was active on all three days (Rising Stars Challenge, Dunk Contest and Sunday’s All-Star tournament). The good news for fantasy managers is that the points, rebounds, assists and steals were solid on Wednesday; only the field-goal percentage was problematic. While the Spurs don’t want to change their approach as the season winds down, Castle will have ample opportunities to “spread his wings” within the system.

After scoring nine points on 4-of-13 shooting in the Spurs’ final two games before the All-Star break, Johnson has reached double figures in five straight. Surpassing the 20-point mark in two outings, including Wednesday’s defeat, he has been a top 100 player in eight-cat formats. With Devin Vassell (nine points, five rebounds, three assists and one three-pointer in 24 minutes) continuing to struggle, it wouldn’t be a terrible idea to consider rostering Johnson in the short term. He’s available in 69 percent of Yahoo! leagues, so he won’t be too difficult to find on the waiver wire.

Wednesday’s performance was one of the worst of Clarkson’s career. He missed his first 13 shot attempts before making a layup with 1:09 remaining, and the outcome was no longer in doubt. As one would expect, the Delta Center crowd cheered the achievement. However, on a serious note, Clarkson is in a tough spot. Due to the inconsistent availability, as improving its draft lottery odds and developing its young talent appear to be the front office’s priorities, Clarkson hasn’t been able to get into a flow regarding his play in games. And that has negatively impacted his fantasy value, which was already low. Fantasy managers are better off with Isaiah Collier, who’s rostered in 39 percent of Yahoo! leagues and finished Wednesday’s loss with nine points, three rebounds, seven assists, two steals and two three-pointers in 26 minutes.

Kessler nearly made history on Wednesday, finishing one rebound shy of a 25/15/5 line on 100 percent shooting. Only one player in NBA history has achieved that feat: Wilt Chamberlain, and he did it on six occasions during his illustrious career. That says a lot when you can be in the same sentence as Wilt, as Kessler nearly was. As for his fantasy value for the rest of the season, that concerns fantasy managers. And it isn’t the production. It’s the availability. The Jazz have already started resting key players, including Kessler, and there’s no reason why they’d stop doing that now, especially with the loaded 2025 draft class. For that reason, Wednesday’s performance may be a good time to “sell high” on Kessler.

Valanciunas did not require much time to record a solid stat line on Wednesday, playing just 14 minutes off the bench. While that is impressive, the playing time and who he’s backing up (Domantas Sabonis) is why JV is not as valuable to fantasy managers in Sacramento as he was in Washington. Sabonis played 34 minutes, finishing with 12 points, nine rebounds, six assists, one steal and one blocked shot. Unless Domas were to suffer an injury, there’s little reason why Valancinuas should be rostered in 67 percent of Yahoo! leagues as he currently is.