NBA Player News

Cade has been able to play in three of their last four games, though he did sit one leg of a back-to-back. He was a very late scratch in that game, so there is a chance that he plays in their back-to-back on Wednesday and Thursday. However, if he doesn’t Killian Hayes should return to the starting lineup.

Minnesota rested the majority of their rotation players in this game, which allowed some of the young guys to step up. Garza took full advantage of the opportunity and dominated against a Denver squad that played its starters for the majority of the game. Garza may still be worth stashing, but he hasn’t been much of a factor in fantasy hoops through his first few years in the league. Still, this type of production was fun to see.

Murray hasn’t played much during the preseason, but he played well while seeing his largest role. Murray has reportedly been dealing with some discomfort in his knee, but it didn’t show in his play in this game. They wouldn’t force him to play 29 minutes in a preseason game if it was giving him major problems, so there isn’t a reason for managers to be concerned about Murray’s knee at this point. He should continue to be an incredibly effective option in fantasy hoops.

While it seems like Christian Braun is locked in as Denver’s starting shooting guard, Strawther continues to make a strong case. He had 21 points on Sunday before this 33-point explosion. Even if Strawther ends up in a reserve role, he should still see plenty of minutes. In that case, he won’t be a reliable option in standard leagues, but the 22-year-old should be a solid source of 3-pointers either way. We’ll see if his recent performances help him move into the starting unit.

With Jalen Williams exiting early due to an ankle injury, Jones’ opportunity could increase to start the regular season. He didn’t have a great shooting performance in this game, but he was still able to contribute across the board, and he has played well in both Summer League and the preseason. The rookie is far more intriguing in dynasty formats than in redraft, but with the way injuries have already hit the Thunder, he may have a role early on during his rookie year.

Jalen Williams exited early from this game with an ankle injury, which forced them to turn to Joe for some extra minutes in this exhibition. The severity of JDub’s injury isn’t clear at this point, but if it ends up being something that keeps him sidelined for the start of the season next week, Joe should see a few extra minutes early on. He is a solid 3-point option in deeper leagues, but that is the extent of his value.

Bufkin has had decent moments during the preseason, but with the Hawks playing without most of their starters, he took advantage of the opportunity and had a big offensive performance. It was the second night of the dreaded preseason back-to-back, though that didn’t slow Bufkin down. He’ll likely fill in as Trae Young’s backup, which won’t allow him to have offensive performances like this often. However, dynasty managers have to be intrigued by the numbers that he put up in this one.

Green had a miraculous run to nearly help Houston make the playoffs late last season, and he reminded us in this game of just how good he can be as a scorer when he gets going. Figuring out how to contribute in other ways will impact how much he impacts category leagues this year, but he will be a major factor in points leagues once again.

After showing flashes during his rookie season, Thompson has proven during the preseason that he’s ready to take the next step this year. He’s currently being drafted in the later rounds, which makes him one of the best late-round picks this draft season. He has tremendous upside long-term, but his talent is already oozing out onto the court and into the box score. He has also knocked down a couple of 3-pointers during the preseason despite hitting just eight over the course of his rookie year.

The Spurs were without the majority of their starting unit for this game, which allowed Castle to step up on the offensive end. The rookie has had his ups and downs during the preseason, which will likely continue during the regular season, which will start next week. Castle is an intriguing upside play in the later rounds, but most of his fantasy value will be found in dynasty leagues. Still, managers have to be happy with what they’ve seen from him so far regardless of league format.

After missing Atlanta’s first few preseason games, OO was finally able to suit up in this game. He only played 16 minutes, but it was encouraging to see him back on the floor. It still isn’t clear who will be the starting center for the Hawks, since Okongwu and Clint Capela haven’t been available at the same time yet. However, both bigs will both play large roles for a younger team in Atlanta that is trying to form a new identity. Okongwu has been going in the later rounds of drafts, but his upside if he ends up starting is high enough to help managers win their league.