NBA Player News

Edwards is in a slump at the worst possible time, shooting 18-of-57 from the field in his last three games. While the first of this downturn in production was Minnesota’s Game 7 victory over Denver, his inefficiency has been problematic against Dallas. His saving grace in Game 2 was the foul line, with Ant-Man making nine of his 10 attempts. While Edwards has undoubtedly looked ready for the bright lights numerous times, there’s still room for growth. The first two games of the Western Conference Finals have been a painful reminder for him and the Timberwolves. Game 2 is on Sunday in Dallas.

Avdija’s run at FIBA EuroBasket ended on Sunday, as Israel had no answer for Greece’s Giannis Antetokounmpo. However, on the heels of a successful debut season in Portland, this tournament was a success for Avdija individually. He scored at least 20 points in all six games, shooting just under 50 percent from the field. Avdija’s play, especially after the All-Star break, was one of the sources of optimism for the Trail Blazers despite missing the postseason. While a healthy Jerami Grant may push him back into a reserve role to begin next season, Avdija’s opportunities to be an impactful contributor should not be negatively impacted.

Greece advanced to the quarterfinals of FIBA EuroBasket with an 84-79 win over Israel, and to the surprise of no one, Antetokounmpo dominated. The Bucks forward shot 18-of-21 inside the arc, with all but two of the makes occurring in the paint. More surprising was that Antetkounmpo only attempted two free throws; Israel may have been better served to send him to the foul line more often, given the struggles throughout his pro career. The one area Giannis will have to clean up in Tuesday’s quarterfinal matchup with Lithuania is the turnover count, as he recorded six on Sunday.

After an inconsistent run through group play, Fontecchio capped his EuroBasket experience with a solid effort against Slovenia. This was the second game of 20 points or more for the Heat forward, who went off for 39 points in an August 31 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina. On Sunday, Fontecchio shot 4-of-10 from three, and that’s the area that may translate the most when assessing his outlook with Miami next season. The Heat traded Duncan Robinson to Detroit, opening up room for someone to step forward as a capable catch-and-shoot option.

Dončić was sensational to begin Sunday’s Round of 16 matchup, scoring 22 points in the first quarter. While Italy was able to do a better job of defending the Lakers star as the game progressed, Dončić still recorded his first 40-point game of this summer’s EuroBasket. The lone area of concern was his dash to the locker room between the first and second quarters, possibly to address a minor lower-body injury. Dončić still played 33 of a possible 40 minutes, so there’s unlikely to be an injury concern heading into Slovenia’s quarterfinal matchup with Germany.

France struggled across the board in their 80-70 Round of 16 defeat, but Risacher and Bilal Coulibaly were especially disappointing. Risacher shot 1-of-6 from three on the day, while Coulibaly missed all three of his shot attempts and went scoreless with three rebounds and four personal fouls. France, which struggled mightily when Israel switched to a zone defense during their group stage matchup, encountered similar issues against Georgia on Sunday. Poor perimeter shooting and limited frontcourt depth were too much for France to overcome.

Yabusele and France are headed home early, as Georgia bounced them from FIBA EuroBasket by an 80-70 final score. Three-point shooting did them in, as the French shot 6-of-36 from beyond the arc. By comparison, Georgia was 10-of-18. Yabusele, who did not miss a two-point attempt, was just 1-of-7 from three, which was a disappointing conclusion for him. Losing Alex Sarr to a calf injury during the group stage did not help, as France was already shorthanded in the frontcourt. However, this still qualifies as a disappointing result for the national team. During free agency, Yabusele moved from the 76ers to the Knicks, where he will figure prominently in the team’s bench unit.

Less than 24 hours after Finland stunned Serbia, Mamukelashvili and Georgia bounced France from FIBA EuroBasket. The Raptors center/forward recorded his first double-double of the event and was a blocked shot shy of a complete stat line. Former Butler guard Kamar Baldwin led the way for the Georgians, dropping 24 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the field and 5-of-5 from the foul line. Another factor in the outcome was three-point shooting, as Georgia shot 10-of-18 while France made just six of its 36 attempts. Next up for Georgia is a quarterfinal matchup with Finland.

Nurkić ended his run at the 2025 FIBA EuroBasket with another solid performance, leading Bosnia and Herzegovina in scoring and rebounding. Unfortunately for him, it was not enough to hold off Poland, which was led by former Raptors guard Jordan Loyd (28 points). In five games, Nurkić averaged 17.0 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.5 steals, 1.0 blocks and 1.0 three-pointers. Having been dealt to the Jazz this offseason, the veteran center should slot in behind Walker Kessler on the depth chart. And with Utah continuing its rebuild, that is not a great spot to be in concerning fantasy value.

It was an up-and-down EuroBasket from Jovic, but he ended things on a high note, even if it was an early-than-expected loss for Serbia. Jovic’s 20 points were a tournament-high for him, which will hopefully help propel him into a big season with Miami. The 2022 first-round pick is an exciting late-round pick with plenty of upside.

It was another monster performance from Jokic, who has carried the load for Serbia throughout EuroBasket. However, it wasn’t enough for them to secure the win over Lauri Markkanen (29 points) and Finland. Serbia’s run ends in the Round of 16, which means Jokic will have some time to recover ahead of the regular season. That is a good thing, since managers will certainly be investing at least a top-two pick on him in every league.