NBA Player News

On the heels of a solid preseason, Smith has been rewarded with a standard contract. While this is unlikely to turn him into a player worth rostering in fantasy leagues, Smith is better positioned to provide additional depth at the point guard position. The first season of the contract is partially guaranteed, with the second year having a July “trigger date.” Smith’s promotion freed up a two-way contract slot, which Cole Swider has filled.

For the second straight game, Castle got the start in place of Jeremy Sochan, who was sidelined once again with a back issue. Castle only had five points in their previous game, but he tied his season-high for scoring in this one, which he has now done three times this season. The Spurs still play three more games this week, and if Sochan remains sidelined, Castle should be a solid streaming option that is available in 91% of Yahoo leagues. Keep an eye on the injury report ahead of Wednesday’s matchup with Memphis.

Vassell has had some shooting woes recently, but he was able to get back on track in this game. Over his previous five games, Vassell had hit a total of six 3-pointers and shot worse than 50% in each of them. He was far more effective in this game and produced to the level that we know he is capable of. The recent shooting struggles have hurt his value, but he’ll look to build off this game moving forward. They still have three more games this week, including two home games against the Grizzlies.

Per usual, Wemby provided value across the board, which helped them end their three-game slide. His double-double streak came to an end, but Wemby was able to finished with at least five “stocks” for a fourth straight game. This was supposed to be two straight games against the Lakers, but the first game was postponed due to the fires in LA. They had five days between games, but now they still have three more games this week. They’ll head home to play two straight games against Memphis on Wednesday and Friday before closing the week in Miami on Sunday.

Ware came off the bench with Kevin Love starting for the injured Bam Adebayo Monday. Ware still played 32 minutes compared to just 15 minutes for Love. The 20-year-old center was effective with 19 points on 11 shots. Ware had 13 rebounds, a block, a steal and even made three 3-pointers. He’s had games like this before only to fall out of the rotation when the team is fully healthy. Ware is a must-stream option when the situation calls for it and otherwise worth keeping an eye on.

Despite dealing with some early foul trouble, Davis was still a dominant force in this game and made his presence felt in the box score. He had a rough shooting night in their previous game, but he only missed five of his 18 shots in this one and made an impact in every category. The Lakers were dominated in the fourth quarter, which made the score a lot more lopsided than the first three quarters. AD continues to be one of the best players in fantasy basketball once again, and they still have three more games this week for him to dominate.

James was able to stuff the stat sheet in this game, but he also tied his season-high for turnovers. This was also his second straight game with less than 20 points, but it wasn’t a result of poor shooting. He has made at least 50% of his attempts in nine straight games, but he only took 11 shots in this game, which was a new season-low for him. The Lakers have now dropped three straight games, so we’ll see if LeBron is more aggressive when the Heat come to town on Wednesday.

Without Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo in the lineup, it was no surprise that the Heat leaned on Herro for offense Monday. He had 32 points on 20 shots, though he struggled from the 3-point line going 4-of-13. The 24-year-old continues to benefit from Butler’s continued absence from the lineup as he’s provided third round fantasy value over the last week.

Reaves didn’t have a great shooting night in this one, but he was able to get back on track as a playmaker after only having one assist in their last game. Reaves had an elite stretch in late December with three straight games with at least 25 points and 10 assists, and he has five double-doubles in their last eight games. Unfortunately, the last few games have been some subpar shooting performances. They still have three more games this week, so he’ll look to get back on track against Miami on Wednesday.

Leonard played just 21 minutes in the victory against the Heat. He had been away from the team last week to be with his family after the wildfires in Los Angeles. The 33-year-old small forward is still on a minutes limit and won’t reach his fantasy ceiling while still working his way up to more playing time.

Powell poured in 29 points on 17 shots and made 5-of-8 attempts from behind the 3-point line in the win over the Heat Monday. The 31-year-old shooting guard continues to benefit from Kawhi Leonard still not having reclaimed his role as the focal point of the offense. Leonard played just 21 minutes Monday while Powell led the team in points and shot attempts. Powell’s production will have to be monitored as Leonard continues to acclimate himself.