NBA Player News

It’s not a surprising statement from Ball, who is surely trying to stay optimistic after it was confirmed that he won’t play in 2023-24 due to a lingering knee issue. Ball hasn’t played since January of 2022, and his extended absence unfortunately reminds us of Jonathan Isaac. Ball is a hold in dynasty leagues only if you have an IL spot available, but otherwise, he doesn’t need to be rostered anywhere. Jevon Carter, Ayo Dosunmu and Coby White will all get extended run at the PG spot this season for Chicago.

Bam dominated the Pacers on Friday. He was three assists shy of a 30-point triple-double and had five steals in a victory. Without Jimmy Butler on the floor, he’s had additional scoring opportunities. Adebayo didn’t have quite as good of a game on Sunday. He was -9 in 39 minutes in the nine-point loss. Miami has a quick turnaround as they face the 76ers on Monday in the second game of a back-to-back.

Wade sprained his ankle during the third quarter when he stepped on teammate Jarrett Allen’s foot while on defense. If he misses time, this will not impact fantasy basketball, as Wade has not been a factor this season.

Herro once again led the Heat in scoring while Jimmy Butler remains out. He went 7-of-11 from behind the 3-point line, but made only one other shot from the field. Herro knocked down all five of his free throw attempts, but was -10 in 37 minutes in the nine-point loss to Indiana. Miami will be back on the floor Monday against the 76ers in the second game of a back-to-back.

Mathurin continues to have big rebounding efforts. This was already his fourth game of the season with double-digit rebounds, including three games with double-digit rebounds in his last six games. Mathurin was also efficient scoring as he dropped 21 points on 10 shots. He got to the foul line a decent amount and knocked down all eight of his free throw attempts. He won’t get a lot of assists, but the points and rebounds are going to be plentiful while the Pacers continue to be without Aaron Nesmith.

Haliburton continues to turn in similar stat lines. The assists are there, which was expected, but he continues to struggle shooting from the field. Haliburton knocked down 3-of-8 shots from behind the 3-point line and all five of his free throw attempts, but otherwise he had a tough time scoring. It’s a long season, but he hasn’t delivered first round value just yet. Indiana has four games in Week 5.

Okoro sprained his ankle during the second quarter and was not on the court to begin the third. Caris LeVert filled the void in the starting lineup, but the boost he’d experience if Okoro missed time would be minimal. Donovan Mitchell is sitting out Sunday’s game for rest reasons and will be available on Tuesday when the Cavaliers visit Boston.

Turner’s 34 points were a game-high and personal season-high for Turner. It was good to see him have a good scoring game after he had failed to eclipse 15 points in three of his last four games entering play Sunday. Turner needs to string a few more good games together to be on pace to pay off his preseason Yahoo ADP of 45. He’ll have the chance next week as the Pacers play four games in Week 5.

Jaquez Jr. twisted his ankle at the end of the third quarter and was helped to the locker room. He was quickly ruled out for the rest of the game, which isn’t a great sign. Jaquez Jr. had only two points in 15 minutes, but theoretically he has more fantasy value while Jimmy Butler has been out for Miami.

Sheppard played 26 minutes as a fill-in starter with Andrew Nemhard still out for the Pacers. This injury isn’t a big deal for fantasy basketball, but will stretch the Pacers’ depth if it lingers as the team has four games in the next six days.

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.