NBA Player News

With it being reported in late June that Bediako had reached an agreement with the Spurs on a training camp deal, he’ll have the opportunity to compete for a roster spot in the fall. If he fails in that mission, the undrafted rookie out of Alabama will likely latch on with the Spurs’ G League affiliate. Sunday’s performance was a good one for Bediako, but he’s unlikely to offer fantasy value next season. Sidy Cissoko, a second-round pick in last month’s draft, put up 10 points, eight rebounds, six assists, and two blocked shots in 23 minutes.

A game-time call for Sunday’s game, McBride will miss a second straight due to his knee issue. Cameron Payne will pick up a few more minutes off the bench, but that’s unlikely enough to impact fantasy basketball. The same can be said for Tyler Kolek, who entered the rotation on Friday.

Towns is back after a one-game absence, which drops Jericho Sims to the bench. And given how rookie Ariel Hukporti outplayed Sims in Friday’s win over the Nets, he may be out of the rotation entirely. Neither Hukporti nor Sims is worth the risk in fantasy with Towns available.

The Suns went with a bigger lineup on Sunday, starting Plumlee alongside Jusuf Nurkic. Unfortunately, Nurk got into early foul trouble, so they didn’t get to see that tandem on the floor together for too long. Nurkic played 14 minutes, finishing with five points, seven rebounds, one assist, and one 3-pointer. Plumlee’s best path to credible fantasy value would be to stick as a starter, albeit as the lone big. A two-game Week 5 in which the Suns will be done on Wednesday is not a good time to roster him, but keep an eye on Plumlee’s minutes.

Allen has seemingly rebounded from a two-game stretch last weekend in which he scored nine points on 3-of-17 shooting. In his last two outings, he’s scored 33 on 11-of-20 shooting from the field (8-of-16 3-pointers). Allen’s improved production comes at a good time, as the Suns are without Bradley Beal and Kevin Durant. He’ll have some fantasy value to begin Week 5, but the Suns will finish their two-game week on Wednesday.

Booker put on a show during the first half of Sunday’s game, scoring 27 points. But he and the Suns could not hold off the Timberwolves, who won on a Julius Randle 3-pointer as time expired. In scoring a season-high 44 points, Booker hit the 40-point mark for the second time this season. Phoenix plays two games in Week 5, home games against the Magic (Monday) and Knicks (Wednesday).

While Gobert did not produce an elite stat line on Sunday, he outplayed Jusuf Nurkic and Mason Plumlee on Sunday. The “Stifle Tower” recorded a double-double and four blocked shots, and he heads into a two-game Week 5 ranked just inside the top 75 in per-game value.

Edwards took a back seat to Julius Randle on Sunday, with the offseason addition scoring 35 points and hitting the game-winning 3-pointer. That likely boosted Edwards’ efficiency, but the 14 shots are the second-fewest in a game for Edwards this season. Don’t get used to this, as Edwards is more likely to lead the Timberwolves in shots than not on most nights.

While there was some controversy to end Minnesota’s win over the Suns, with some contending that Randle pushed off, the game-winner is his first significant moment since arriving in Minnesota. Since starting slowly to begin the season, he’s appeared more comfortable within the Timberwolves’ rotation while providing top-75 value in fantasy leagues. Minnesota only plays twice in Week 5, beginning with Toronto on Thursday.

Despite initial reports that Isaiah Stewart would enter the starting lineup for Jalen Duren, the Pistons quickly corrected their starting lineup. Stewart will come off the bench and only have real fantasy value if Duren gets in some early foul trouble.