NBA Player News

According to Woj, D’Antoni is expected to pursue head coaching opportunities again in the future. He was reportedly a finalist for the Portland opening this offseason, and will likely be a finalist for openings again next offseason. D’Antoni has over 20 years of NBA coaching experience, including 16 as a head coach.

Lillard only played 26 minutes in the 24-point Bucks win, but still made his presence felt with 25 points on 12 shots. He knocked down 5-of-8 attempts from behind the 3-point line and was 6-of-7 from the free throw line. The 34-year-old point guard was +20 and only had one turnover. He’s still a top-15 player in fantasy on the year.

It doesn’t take much for a team like the Bucks to beat the Raptors these days. Giannis is a star, but he didn’t need to score 50 or even 30 points in this game for Milwaukee to run away with it. The 30-year-old power forward only had 11 points on eight shots, but he also had 13 assists and a triple-double. Fantasy managers certainly can’t complain about the Greek Freak as he continues to play through a knee injury despite the low scoring night.

Ayton pretty much had his way down low as he put in 18 points from close and grabbed 11 rebounds. He’s been solid when he’s been on the court, delivering 6th-round fantasy value over the last two weeks. Unfortunately, the 26-year-old center’s value could be impacted later in the season by the emergence of Donovan Clingan, should Portland decide to insert the rookie into the starting lineup.

After missing three games with a sprained left hand, Oubre showed no signs of rust against the Suns. He produced efficient percentages from the field and the foul line, and the double-double was his fourth of the season. Rostered in 30% of Yahoo leagues, Oubre has provided 11th-round value in 9-cat formats. While that isn’t great, he’s worth holding onto, especially with Joel Embiid (foot) out of the lineup.

George had a rough night shooting the basketball, and that’s been an unfortunate trend for him. Over the past month, he has shot just 41.8% from the field. Establishing on-court chemistry with Joel Embiid (foot) and Tyrese Maxey would help, but with the big fella sidelined, the 76ers now need a more productive George. So do fantasy managers, with few expecting him to be ranked outside the top 50 at this point in the season.

While Yabusele remained in the starting lineup for Monday’s game, his role was slightly different due to Joel Embiid (foot) sitting. The 6-foot-8 forward served as Philadelphia’s starting center and recorded his second double-double. While Yabusele’s season-long fantasy value remains low, he’s worth rostering in deep leagues with Embiid and Andre Drummond (toe) sidelined. Philadelphia plays three more games in Week 11, beginning with Washington on Wednesday night.

Maxey recorded his first 30-point game since December 28 on Monday, leading all scorers with 31 in Philadelphia’s home defeat. Yet even with the recent downtick in scoring, the 76ers guard has been a top-15 player in 9-cat formats over the past two weeks. The assist production has much to do with that, as Maxey has averaged 7.3 helpers during this stretch, and he had 10 more on Monday. Averaging 5.6 assists per game on the season, Maxey is closing in on 1st-round value in 9-cat formats.

Booker had a rough night shooting the basketball, and there have been some concerns that he still hasn’t fully recovered from the groin injury that sidelined him for five games last month. The explosiveness off the dribble isn’t there, likely factoring into his shooting 31.1% from the field over the past three weeks. The good news for fantasy managers is that Booker did dish out a team-high 10 assists on Monday, so there was some value to be gained. Phoenix plays four more games in Week 11, beginning with Tuesday’s visit to Charlotte.

Monday’s game was Beal’s first appearance off the bench since 2016, which may have shocked his system. Whether or not that was the case, the veteran guard deserves credit for playing well off the bench. Beal has scored 23 points or more in five of his last eight outings, providing 7th-round per-game value in 9-cat formats over the past three weeks. That isn’t the standard by which a player of Beal’s pedigree is measured, but it’s possible that moving to the bench will serve as a catalyst. Ryan Dunn started Monday’s game and finished with 15 points, four rebounds, one assist, and three 3-pointers in 27 minutes, shooting 6-of-11 from the field.

After serving a three-game suspension for fighting, Nurkic returned to the floor on Monday. However, he came off the bench in Philadelphia with Mason Plumlee (two points, seven rebounds, two assists, one steal, and two blocks in 13 minutes) receiving the starting nod. Coming off the bench knocks down Nurkic’s fantasy value, as does the fact that rookie Oso Ighodaro (eight points, six rebounds, and three assists in 21 minutes) was Mike Budenholzer’s choice to serve as the center in crunch time. Phoenix having four more games in Week 11 makes Nurkic worth holding onto, but fantasy managers need to watch his minutes/role.