NBA Player News

Portland ranked 29th in defensive efficiency last season, ahead of only Sacramento, and it is clear that Billups wants to change that this season. The first way that he is attacking this issue is in Portland’s ball screen defense, which will be a lot more aggressive this season. Billups’ plan this year is for Jusuf Nurkic, and other Portland bigs to be up to the level of the screen, not allowing the ball handler space to come off for an open jump shot off the screen. Both Nurkic and Damian Lillard are on board with the changes thus far. “I like it,” Lillard said. “I like it a lot.” “I actually love it”, said Jusuf Nurkic. “We don’t want to give nobody space, that’s really what it is,” Lillard said. “We are not going to allow people to come off and shoot and give them the opportunity to just play comfortable.”

The first-round pick out of Tennessee made his unofficial NBA debut on Friday, and he had a decent night in Palm Springs. Knecht shot 2-of-7 from beyond the arc, but that was as part of a rotation that lacked LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Playing off of those two stars should result in cleaner looks. That should also help with the turnovers, as Knecht committed five on Friday. More often than not, he’ll be in the role of “finisher,” either around the basket or in catch-and-shoot situations, so that high number should not concern fantasy managers too much.

The Lakers were without LeBron James and Anthony Davis on Friday, resulting in Reaves taking on a more prominent role within the offense. His leading the team in assists may have been slightly surprising, as D’Angelo Russell (14 points, three assists, one steal, one block, and two 3-pointers in 21 minutes) was also in the lineup, but Reaves is capable of making plays for himself and others. He’ll need to clean up the finishing, as two of his four 2-point misses occurred in the restricted area. However, Reaves is a career 80.3% shooter from within three feet of the basket, so Friday’s effort should not concern fantasy managers.

With LeBron James (expected to play on Sunday) sitting out Friday’s preseason opener, Christie was moved into the starting lineup. And he had a good night, recording a complete stat line while shooting better than 50% from the field. With the Lakers signing Christie to a four-year extension this summer, there’s a clear expectation that he’ll earn rotation minutes under new head coach JJ Redick. That may not be enough to make Christie viable in most fantasy leagues, but there may be times when he’s worth the risk as a streamer.

With Anthony Davis getting the night off (he’s expected to play on Sunday), Hayes was tabbed to fill the resulting void in the starting lineup. He was his usually active self, doing a solid job as a finisher and rebounder. With Christian Wood (knee) and Jarred Vanderbilt (feet) both sidelined and unlikely to be ready for the start of the regular season, Hayes is in a position where he can lock down the backup center role. However, that won’t do much for his fantasy value, as he’s behind a bonafide first-round pick in Davis.

Shannon was one of the Timberwolves who benefitted from Chris Finch’s decision to shut down the starters after the first quarter. Also, Anthony Edwards was not active for the team’s preseason opener. Shannon had a solid night attacking the basket and was also impactful as a playmaker for others. Getting the minutes needed to be an impactful fantasy option once the games count will be difficult, but Shannon is undoubtedly a worthwhile target in dynasty leagues.

With Anthony Edwards inactive and Mike Conley only playing eight minutes (all in the first quarter), Dillingham had ample opportunity to show what he could do for his new team. The lottery pick out of Kentucky wasn’t bashful as a shooter on Friday, but he made sound decisions with the basketball overall. Dillingham’s four assists were countered by just one turnover, and 45% from the field isn’t an alarming percentage to put up in your unofficial NBA debut. The availability of Edwards and Conley will heavily impact his fantasy value during the season.

With no Timberwolves starters playing after the first quarter, there was ample opportunity for players further down the pecking order to show what they can do. Minott was excellent on Friday, racking up five “stocks” while shooting 4-of-6 from three. He played limited minutes in his first two seasons, and the 3-point shot was not part of Minott’s repertoire when he did see action (6-of-16). With Julius Randle (shoulder) sidelined, Minott is a player who could find himself on the back end of the rotation if the newest Timberwolf is not healthy when the regular season begins. That doesn’t make Minott a player in standard league drafts, but he’s worth tracking for deeper leagues.

With Julius Randle (shoulder) inactive, Reid started Minnesota’s preseason opener alongside Rudy Gobert. There wasn’t much time to establish a rhythm, as no Timberwolves starter played after the first quarter. But that isn’t a big deal, as fantasy managers know what they will get from Reid. However, if Randle is not ready for the start of the regular season, that would boost Naz’s draft value, as he would likely be the choice to fill the void in the starting lineup.

Timberwolves coach Chris Finch did not play his starters past the first quarter, and two of the expected “first five” (Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle) were inactive. However, fans and fantasy managers alike had to be pleased with what they saw from DiVincenzo, who was perfect from the field in his unofficial Timberwolves debut. Coming off of the best season of his NBA career, the “Big Ragu” can provide value, even as a reserve. At a minimum, he’ll be worth selecting in the later rounds of standard-league drafts.

During a recent practice, Martin suffered the injury while attempting to block a shot at the rim. While the injury isn’t considered severe, it’s enough to keep him out of Charlotte’s preseason opener on Sunday afternoon. This isn’t the start Martin or the Hornets wanted, as injuries have limited him to 35 games over the last two seasons.