NBA Player News

The former first-round pick of the Pistons has not been able to establish himself since entering the NBA in 2019. Most recently signed to a two-way contract by the Lakers, Doumbouya was not a part of the team’s rotation. He’s being waived in order to make room for Chaundee Brown, who will fill that two-way contract slot.

Dort exited Saturday’s game late in the third quarter with a sore hip and did not return. Isaiah Joe played over 10 minutes during the fourth quarter, as Chet Holmgren and Aaron Wiggins were unavailable. The Thunder visit the Bucks on Sunday, and Joe may be asked to take on a more significant workload if Dort, Holmgren and Wiggins cannot play.

Murry recorded an excellent stat line on Saturday, but his night included a sprained right ankle suffered during the fourth quarter. The good news is that the Nuggets guard returned later in the period. However, Murray was already dealing with left knee inflammation, so two lower body injuries may land him on the injury report ahead of Monday’s game against the Warriors. Denver plays four games during Week 20 but will not have to deal with a back-to-back until the end of the week.

Porter recorded his first 20-point game since March 9, which was also his last double-double. The Nuggets forward is up to 13 double-doubles, one shy of his 2023-24 tally, and his average of 18.3 points per game is the highest for MPJ since his second NBA season. If Porter has had an issue since the All-Star break, it has been his shooting. He has made 43.1 percent of his attempts since the break, over seven percentage points lower than his mark for the season (50.9). He’ll look to turn things around during Denver’s four-game Week 20.

While Jokic appeared to be a bit heavy-legged in Denver’s second game in as many nights, that didn’t prevent him from recording another elite stat line. The three-time MVP finished one assist shy of a triple-double, and he’s had six double-doubles this season with at least 40 points scored. According to Basketball Monster, Jokic is ranked third in eight- and nine-cat formats since the All-Star break. And he remains atop the rankings in both formats for the season. The Nuggets play four games during Week 20.

With Denver playing its second game in as many nights, Westbrook replaced Aaron Gordon in the starting lineup for Saturday’s game. Unsurprisingly, the veteran point guard provided excellent value in his 37 minutes on the court. Since the All-Star break, Westbrook has been an 11th-round player in eight-cat formats. Managers who can afford to take a hit in the turnover category should roster Westbrook, whether he starts or comes off the bench. Westbrook’s move to Denver has been a good one for both parties.

After a four-game run in which he averaged 9.8 points per game on 41.9 percent shooting, George was considerably better on Saturday. He’s scored 19 points or more twice since the All-Star break, but offense isn’t where the rookie has been most valuable this season. The rebounding and defensive stats are why George is rostered in 27 percent of Yahoo leagues despite a poor field goal percentage. Since the All-Star break, he has been a top-40 player for managers willing to punt that particular category.

Sarr was outstanding in Denver, as he recorded a season-high point total and an overall line that many fantasy managers will be pleased with. Since the All-Star break, the rookie center/forward has been a 10th-round player in eight-cat formats. And that’s with Sarr shooting 39.1 percent from the field and 65.6 percent from the foul line. For fantasy managers punting field goal percentage, the rookie has been a seventh-round player since the break.

Poole’s final stat line wasn’t overwhelming, as he did not provide much value outside of the field goal percentage, points, assists and three-pointers. But he hit one of the most stunning game-winners of the season, making a 35-footer with 1.8 seconds remaining to complete the Wizards’ season sweep of the Nuggets. Since the All-Star break, Poole has provided fifth-round value in eight-cat formats, only one round worse than what he’s done for the season. The Wizards will play four games during Week 20, which is good news for those who have Poole rostered.

Rostered in 36 percent of Yahoo! leagues, Johnson has provided respectable fantasy value since the All-Star break. He has been a 10th-round player in nine-cat formats since the break, averaging 16.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.8 steals and 1.6 three-pointers per game. While Johnson doesn’t possess the upside of teammate Stephon Castle, injuries to other players have made him worthy of a look in 12-team leagues. And the Spurs have a good upcoming schedule, as they’ll play 12 games over weeks 20 through 22.

Like teammate Devin Vassell, Castle did not shoot the ball well on Saturday. The good news for those who have him rostered is that the rookie dished out seven assists, his highest tally since March 1. Since the All-Star break, Castle is ranked just inside the top 200 in eight-cat per-game value. Under normal circumstances, there would be no reason for 54 percent of Yahoo! league managers to roster the rookie. However, with De’Aaron Fox and Victor Wembanyama done for the season, Castle is worth the risk in 12-team leagues.