NBA Player News

One night after staging a spirited rally to beat the Raptors at home, the Bulls watched many of their rotation players no-show in Detroit. While Vucevic struggled to deal with Jalen Duren on both ends of the floor, his night was still better than that of many of his teammates. Vooch, DeMar DeRozan (20 points, two rebounds, four assists, one steal, and two blocks), and Zach LaVine combined to score 83 of the Bulls’ 102 points, with no other player scoring more than five. Vucevic will have better nights, so fantasy managers don’t need to panic sell here. Chicago will play four games in Week 2.

Despite Khris Middleton and Marcus Smart reportedly expected to make their respective Wizards debuts after the break, the team has rewarded a player who has performed well for their G League affiliate. Stevenson, a shooting guard who went undrafted after completing his college career at West Virginia, has averaged 17.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game for the Capital City Go-Go. To free up a roster spot for Stevenson, the Wizards have waived Jaylen Nowell.

Doncic played his first two games as a Laker before the break, logging 24 and 23 minutes in two matchups with Utah. He missed 19 games with a strained right calf, so the conservative approach to Doncic’s playing time was expected. According to Stein, the Lakers will likely maintain that strategy as Doncic continues to work off the rust and get acclimated to his new situation. The Lakers play three games for the remainder of Week 16, beginning with a Wednesday/Thursday back-to-back. Luka is expected to miss one of those games (vs. Charlotte, at Portland), giving Dorian Finney-Smith added streaming value in deep leagues.

The 2025 NBA All-Star game was received rather disappointingly from fans, pundits and players alike, leading to the obvious question - what’s next? One idea that’s received traction among international players is a game pitting All Stars from the USA against All Stars from the international community. Sengun - who played in his first All-Star game - said, “Of course, I think it would be nice. You know, that’s not my decision, but yeah, they try different stuff every year, and I’m excited to see what’s gonna happen next year.” Antetokounmpo and Wembanyama supported the idea, too. It’s unclear if the NBA will stick with its new, four-team, single-elimination tournament, but after some harsh criticism, it wouldn’t be surprising to see another change to the format in 2026.

Irving told reporters that “we’re in the process of that right now, just trying to figure out the best route for me to be eligible. There’s a lot of paperwork involved. Obviously, USA still has a decision to make, but for me, I’m just trying to do what’s best.” Irving represented the USA in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, where he helped his team win gold. If it happens, the switch would be a huge boost to an already competitive Australian national team.

15 of Tatum’s 21 points came in Team Shaq’s 41-25 win over Team Chuck in the championship of the 2025 All-Star Game. Tatum’s 15 were the most in any individual matchup of the All-Star Game, and his 21 points across the two games were the most by any player as he edged out Stephen Curry’s 20 for the lead. Curry’s theatrics and the game being played in the Warriors’ arena may have factored into Curry winning All-Star MVP over Tatum, but the Celtics star was still fantastic.

The All-Star Game was played in San Francisco, so it’s only right that Steph was named MVP. He finished with 20 points, 10 rebounds and six three-pointers across their two games, with 12 of those points coming in the championship. Curry put on a show, which was highlighted by a three-point shot from nearly halfcourt to put Team Shaq up 26-15 over Team Kenny. This was Curry’s second time winning All-Star MVP, with the first coming in 2022.

This is a cumulative line over two games. The No. 1 overall pick in 2023 played in his first All-Star Game on Sunday, but he wasn’t able to help Team Chuck walk away victorious. Wemby scored 11 of his 17 points in the championship game against Team Shaq, which was nearly half of his team’s 25 points. Wembanyama didn’t have much help from his teammates in the championship, but he still played well in his first of many All-Star appearances.

He had 12 against Team Kenny and added four against Team Shaq in the finale. SGA took over in the semifinal round of the All-Star Game, scoring 12 points without missing a shot while leading Team Chuck to a 41-32 win over Team Kenny. He hit a three-pointer to get them to 39 points and followed that up with a dunk to get them to the target score of 40 points. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to replicate that success against Team Shaq, which is why they lost the championship 41-25.

Edwards said that if he had a longer warm-up he may have tried to play, but he didn’t have enough time to test out his groin, so he didn’t risk it. Edwards was dealing with soreness in his right hip prior to the All-Star break, but he was able to play in Minnesota’s last three games. The Timberwolves don’t play their next game until Friday in Houston. Edwards should have time to rest up, but managers should keep an eye on the injury report as that game approaches.

James has been on every injury report as he continues to manage these lower-body injuries. The Lakers play Charlotte on Wednesday, so he’ll take the extra time to make sure he’s healthy for that game. Expect him to be on the injury report for their game against the Hornets, but managing these injuries has become the normal for James and he has played in all but one Lakers game since the calendar ticked over to 2025.