NBA Player News

Richardson has averaged 25.7 minutes per game in his first season back with Miami since 2018-19. His absence should free up more playing time for Duncan Robinson and Jaime Jaquez Jr.

Holiday injured his ankle during the United States’ victory over South Sudan and will miss the team’s final group-stage game. Jayson Tatum, who started that win, and Derrick White are possible options to fill the void. Team USA needs a win over Puerto Rico, which has already been eliminated, to clinch the top seed in the quarterfinals. This would also mean a matchup with Brazil on Tuesday.

Hachimura felt discomfort in his left calf following Japan’s overtime loss to France on Tuesday, with further examinations revealing an issue with the gastrocnemius muscle. Not only did he sit out the loss to Brazil, which eliminated Japan from contention for a quarterfinal berth, but Hachimura was not with the team. No details were provided regarding the injury’s severity, so it remains to be seen if this will linger until the Lakers open training camp in late September. Either way, he is not a great fantasy option on a team that boasts LeBron James and Anthony Davis in the frontcourt.

France supporters who hoped Tuesday’s overtime win over Japan would serve as a wake-up call for the hosts were bitterly disappointed on Friday. Wembanyama and company went cold in the second quarter, as Germany outscored France by a 24-9 margin and did not look back. Wemby recorded a double-double and a full stat line, but he did not impact the action significantly. France coach Vincent Collet decided to bench Rudy Gobert for the start of the third quarter, so a lineup change could be in the cards for the team’s upcoming quarterfinal against an opponent that won’t be known until the end of games on Saturday.

Wagner and Dennis Schroder led the way for Germany, combining to score 52 of the team’s 85 points in Friday’s impressive victory. Franz was better from beyond the arc (2-of-5) than he was in his first two games in Paris, combining to go just 2-of-14 in wins over Japan and Brazil. While he may not be a player who fantasy managers will use a top-50 pick on in drafts, Wagner can undoubtedly provide that level of production in Orlando next season. Before that, he’ll look to help lead Germany to its first-ever Olympic medal in men’s basketball.

If anyone forgot that Germany is the reigning world champion in men’s basketball (the FIBA World Cup is separate from the Olympics), Schroder and his teammates offered an emphatic reminder on Friday. He was one of two Germans (Franz Wagner) to score 26 points in the win, which moved the team to 3-0 in group play. Who Germany will play in the quarterfinals won’t be known until the end of Saturday’s action, but this is a team capable of challenging the United States for the gold medal.

Nembhard didn’t do much scoring over their first two games of the Olympics, but he made a big impact during Friday’s win. Canada’s roster is littered with NBA players, so they don’t always need Nembhard to be a scorer. However, he is more than capable and showcased it in this game. Nembhard got paid last week, and he’ll continue make an impact for both Canada and Indiana.

Canada picked up their third straight win on Friday, and SGA was instrumental in making that happen. He led the team in scoring and iced the game late with two free throws in the closing seconds. They finished group play undefeated and will continue their quest for gold next week during the quarterfinals.

Washington has spent time with both the Rockets and Bucks through his first two years in the league, and now he’ll get another fresh start. Phoenix doesn’t have a ton of depth at point guard, but Washington will still likely spend most of next season in the G-League with the brand new Valley Suns.

Daniels briefly exited this game after tweaking his knee, but it didn’t keep him out long. Despite that, he was able to turn in a well-rounded stat line and showcase some playmaking after having a total of five assists across their first two games. Depending on the point differential in the Canada-Spain matchup, Australia may or may not advance to the next phase of the tournament. Regardless, Daniels has played well thus far, which should have managers excited about his first season in Atlanta.

Greece dropped their first two games of the Olympics, but they were finally able to get a win. They held a 17-point lead at halftime and were able to hold on in the second half. Giannis once again led the team in scoring, though this was his lowest-scoring game of the Olympics. He did more facilitating in this game and had six assists after having a total of four in the first two games. Depending on how the point differential plays out in the Canada-Spain matchup, Greece could still advance in the tournament.