NBA Player News

Even though other teams “smell blood in the water,” according to Cronin, "[the Blazers] haven’t discussed one time about taking a step back.” Portland received some good news recently with Damian Lillard (abdomen) possibly returning as soon as Sunday, but with an 11-15 record they’ll need to turn things around to stay in the playoff hunt. If they do fall out of the playoff picture, it’s almost a given that Blazers chair Jody Allen would direct Cronin to shave off $3 million in salary to avoid the luxury tax.

TJD only played 22 minutes in this game, which was his first appearance of the summer. It wasn’t a standout performance, but that shouldn’t mean much. Jackson-Davis had a strong rookie season, especially late in the year. He should be the team’s starting center this upcoming season, so playing in Summer League is just continued development for him. There isn’t much competition for minutes at center, so TJD could be in for a big season.

Podz went from practicing against Team USA as part of the select team to suiting up for the Warriors in Summer League. He subbed in for the final two minutes of this game to help prevent the Kings from completing the comeback, and he was able to ice the game with a few late free throws. Podziemski played well as a rookie and should play a large role in year two. The arrival of Buddy Hield and De’Anthony Melton could prevent Podz from being a consistent starter, but he should be worth taking late in fantasy drafts.

Ellis broke out for Sacramento late last season because of his defense, but he was able to showcase some offensive firepower in this game. Though he did have some turnover issues, he was by far the best offensive player in this game. Managers shouldn’t expect an offensive explosion next season, especially with DeMar DeRozan joining the team. However, he should be on the floor because of his defense, so if he is able to contribute offensively as well, Ellis could be in for a big season. He should be worth a late round dart throw.

The Jazz limited Collier’s minutes on Tuesday so that he could play again in this game, and he played well in his 20 minutes off the bench. He slipped to the Jazz late in the first round, and he has had a strong start to the summer. There is a chance that he moves into the starting unit for this summer if they decide that Keyonte George has shown enough, which could give us a closer look at Collier. Early on, he is looking like a steal for the Jazz.

Kessler didn’t do much scoring in this game, but he did control the glass, which certainly helped them secure the win. His name has been at the center of trade rumors, and that will be a storyline worth following for the remainder of the summer. If he remains in Utah and plays around 23.3 minutes per game like he did last season, he will be a solid late-round fantasy option. However, if he ends up on a different team that gives him more playing time, he may be able to have a breakout season.

It has not been a great start to Williams’ career, even if it is just Summer League. His only two points in this game came at the free throw line late in the fourth quarter, and he didn’t contribute much in other areas. Williams is now up to 15 total points in three Summer League games, which isn’t what they were hoping for out of him. Perhaps he will be able to figure things out in Las Vegas, but the early struggles are at least mildly concerning.

After scoring an inefficient 30 points in his first game this summer, George followed it up with an efficient 31 in this one. After an exciting rookie season, George has shined in Summer League. If he continues to score at this rate, it wouldn’t be surprising if they decided he was done for the summer. He should he Utah’s starting point guard this upcoming season, which will make him a high-upside target in the later rounds.

It has been a strong summer for Council IV thus far. He struggled on Tuesday, but he had 29 points on Monday and followed that up with another big scoring night in this one. He had a few strong performances as a rookie last season, and if he continues to play well this summer, he may be able to crack Philly’s rotation. He is certainly a player that is worth stashing in dunasty formats.

McCain has had a strong start to the summer, but he wasn’t able to keep it going in his third game in as many days. He only played 17 minutes, and he wasn’t able to contribute much. That can certainly be attributed to fatigue, and he will get a few days off before playing again. Managers shouldn’t put much stock into this game, and his performance the rest of the summer will be worth keeping an eye on.

It has been a fantastic three days stretch for Mitchell. 24 hours after he had a double-double, he dropped a team-high 21 points to lead the Thunder to a win. He is averaging 15.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.3 steals per game so far this summer, which is excellent production for a second-round pick on a stacked team. It will be difficult for him to earn much of a role in year one, but he has shown that he may be able to eventually earn a spot in the rotation, even if it takes a few seasons.