NBA Player News

Bryant pulled down double-digit boards for just the third time this season, and he finished with his second double-double of the campaign. The backup big man averaged 5.6 points and 3.6 rebounds across 11.4 minutes in 38 appearances for Miami this season, providing frontcourt depth behind Bam Adebayo. The minutes were his fewest since his rookie campaign, and Bryant should fill a similar role for Miami for the upcoming playoff run.

Availability has been a major concern for Leonard over the last seven seasons, and while he appeared in 68 games in 2023-24, he missed four of Los Angeles’ six playoff games. His withdrawal from Team USA is likely do to health concerns, and White - fresh off a championship with Boston - will replace him on the roster. White joins teammates Jayson Tatum and Jrue Holiday.

Smith Jr. was able to contribute a little bit in every category in this game, but the shooting woes continued. He is now 8-of-33 from the floor through two games this summer, which isn’t ideal for a player heading into his second season. Smith Jr. was once a five-star prospect, but he slipped in the draft after a disappointing season at Arkansas. He didn’t have a great rookie season, even with LaMelo Ball injured. If he doesn’t turn things around this summer, it will be difficult to be optimistic about him heading into this season.

McGowens was waived by the Hornets just before Summer League, but his performance through their first two games may end up changing that. He is averaging 24.5 points per game while shooting 21-of-26 from the free throw line. McGowens played 59 games last season and even started a handful of games for Charlotte, but he was never much of a factor in fantasy hoops. It’s nice to see him play well, and it may earn him a contract for next season. However, there’s no reason to keep an eye on him in fantasy basketball.

Summer League hasn’t been kind to the 10th pick of the draft. Williams has a total of 13 points on 6-of-15 shooting across 49 minutes, which isn’t ideal. Summer League doesn’t define a player, especially a rookie, so these early struggles shouldn’t discourage managers too much. Still, it would be nice to see him improve over the next few weeks. Regardless, Williams isn’t a player that managers should be targeting in redraft leagues this upcoming season due to the amount of competition that he will have for minutes.

Lofton Jr. signed with the Jazz just before the end of last season after starting the year in Memphis and also spending time in Philadelphia. He’ll remain under contract with Utah for the next two seasons, but it is unlikely that he is able to become a consistent fantasy contributor. The only times that he has put up numbers in his career is during silly season, and it’s difficult to imagine him taking minutes from the forwards in front of him in the rotation. Still, it’s encouraging to see him play well this summer.

After scoring 15 points in 23 minutes on Monday, Sensabaugh was even better in less game time in this game. He only logged 15 minutes in the first half, which was enough time for him to be the team’s leading scorer. He only played 32 games as a rookie and averaged 7.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.1 triples in 18.3 minutes. He missed a lot of time early on due to injury, but if he is healthy heading into next season, he may end up having some fantasy upside, especially if the Jazz aren’t contending for a postseason spot.

The initial expectations for Mitchell may not have been as high since he was selected in the second round to a talented team. However, his first two Summer League games are encouraging. The UC Santa Barbara product posted a 14/3/4/3/2 line on Monday, and he followed that up with a double-double in this game. He signed a two-way deal with the Thunder, so he will likely spend a lot of time in the G-League this season. Still, if he continues to play this well, it wouldn’t be surprising if he ended up being a major part of their future.

Third year players are supposed to dominate Summer League, but that wasn’t the case in Dieng’s first game on Monday. However, he was much better in his second appearance. He’s still only 21 years old, and he was initially seen as a high-upside wing, so it isn’t surprising that he hasn’t played a consistent role for OKC so far. If he continues to play like he did in this game, there may still be hope for him. However, if he turns in more outings like he did in Monday’s loss, it will be difficult to still believe in him.

Jones played well in his Summer League debut on Monday, but he was on a different level in this one. It’s still early, but he is looking like a steal for the Thunder. He was incredibly efficient from the floor and made an impact across the board. He didn’t have as many rebounds and assists as he did against the 76ers, but he was a far better scoring option. Jones may struggle to see the floor much on a talented Thunder squad during his rookie season, but his early returns this summer are encouraging.

Shooting was considered a weakness for Castle entering the draft, but he showcased some shooting ability during their first Summer League game by knocking down two triples. However, he missed all six of his attempts from beyond the arc on Tuesday. Castle did other things well on both ends of the ball and showcased some playmaking skills, which is encouraging to see. However, until he proves otherwise, the perimeter shooting will continue to be a question mark. He averaged less than a steal per game in college despite being a really good defender. If he can continue to swipe the ball away like he did in this game, he could be an intriguing fantasy option.