NBA Player News

It’s ‘injury management’ season for the Raptors, and for Boucher it’s a sprained left knee that will keep him inactive. Toronto has been singularly disinterested in making the play-in tournament, and have successfully avoided it by sinking to the No. 12 spot in the East, fully five games behind the No. 10 seed Wizards. The Raptors wrap up their season with games on Friday in Dallas and Sunday vs. the visiting Pacers.

Jones had a good night shooting the basketball, making both 3-point attempts on the way to a 12-point night. The 2023-24 season was his best regarding 3-point shooting, with Airplane Mode making 1.1 per game at a 34.1% clip. Those numbers should indicate that nights like Wednesday aren’t the norm for Jones. However, there’s a chance he offers modest offensive value while Kawhi Leonard remains sidelined.

The absence of Kawhi Leonard means Powell will have every opportunity to make things happen as a scorer. Wednesday night was rough, as he was 1-of-7 from beyond the arc and shot below 50% from two. The assist production was positive, as Powell didn’t offer much value outside of points last season. He’s worth rolling the dice on until Leonard returns, as it’s unknown when Kawhi will be healthy enough to play.

Fantasy managers knew Harden would have to take on an increased workload, and that’s how things played out in the opener. With Kawhi Leonard (knee) sidelined and Paul George now in Philadelphia, The Beard shouldered the responsibility of being the Clippers’ primary scoring and playmaking option. Between the shot attempts, near triple-double, and turnover count (eight), fantasy managers likely had flashbacks watching Harden in action on Wednesday.

Nurkic only played nine minutes in the first half of Wednesday’s game, as both teams went small for extended periods. It’s also worth remembering that the veteran center didn’t see much action during the preseason, as he was returning from a finger injury. So, fantasy managers can blame Nurkic’s workload on the matchup and Phoenix exercising caution regarding his playing time. Fantasy managers who have him rostered need to remain patient.

The first regular season game at the Intuit Dome was a thriller, and Durant was one of the reasons the home fans didn’t celebrate a win. He made a colossal fadeaway shot with 21 seconds remaining to force overtime, with Bradley Beal taking over during the extra period to deliver Phoenix the victory. Durant played 44 of a possible 53 minutes; that’s unlikely to happen very often this season. This is a good thing, given how much basketball KD has played throughout his career.

After a 2023-24 season in which injuries limited his impact, Beal got the 2024-25 campaign off to a good start. He shot the ball efficiently while recording a full stat line, giving fantasy managers the value they hoped to receive last season. If Beal stays healthy, he should be in for a good season, especially with the Suns addressing their deficiency at the point guard position this summer. The additions of Tyus Jones and Monte Morris mean the Suns’ main scoring options can focus primarily on that instead of worrying about facilitating.

Jones did what many fantasy managers have come to expect, producing an efficient stat line that may not jump off the page. He dished out eight assists without committing a turnover on Wednesday while shooting 50% from the field and recording a full stat line. The playing time was just as encouraging; if Jones plays into the thirties consistently, he’ll be a valuable point guard in fantasy basketball.

Murray injured his hand during the fourth quarter of Wednesday’s season opener, and he should be considered out indefinitely until the Pelicans announce a timeline. This leaves a significant void in the starting lineup, but New Orleans did play without Zion Williamson due to illness. His return would fill that void, with CJ McCollum moving into the starting point guard role he occupied last season. Jose Alvarado may pick up additional minutes off the bench, but he is not worth streaming in this spot.

Ayton started off the season on a good note with a double-double. It wasn’t the most efficient game from Ayton, though, and he was a -19 in 31 minutes in the 35-point loss to Golden State. Ayton seems to be trying to shoot more threes after doing so in the preseason. He went 1-for-10 from deep all last season and while he didn’t make a three on Wednesday, the fact that he even attempted two shots from downtown is notable.

With Kawhi Leonard (knee) sidelined, Zubac was pegged by many to be a potential “winner” regarding fantasy value. Wednesday’s returns were positive, with the Clippers center getting 13 shot attempts and another eight at the foul line. Add in the rebounding, and Big Zu had a productive night before fouling out early in overtime. The longer Leonard sits, the better Zubac’s chances of exceeding his Yahoo ADP are (86.8).