NBA Player News

With the Kings effectively replacing Harrison Barnes with DeMar DeRozan, Murray will likely slide down in the offensive pecking order. One way to compensate is through improved defensive play, even if that doesn’t always translate into stats. This was not the case for Murray on Friday, as he racked up five steals and a blocked shot. Last season, Murray had three steals in a game on six occasions, finishing with an average of 1.0 per game. He isn’t going to consistently tally five steals, but increased defensive production (1.9 “stocks” per game last season) would protect some of Murray’s fantasy value.

Cunningham is turning into a superstar this season. He had 28 points on 19 shots and got to the foul line and made 7-of-9 free throws. He had multiple steals and blocks and made three 3-pointers, including a dagger to put the Pistons up by seven with less than a minute left. Cunningham is a top-40 player in fantasy this season and even more valuable in turnover-punt builds.

Durant had an excellent night shooting the basketball, but things went haywire when the Pistons sent double-teams his way. He committed eight turnovers on the night, with three being offensive fouls. The good news for fantasy managers is that this hasn’t been the norm for Durant, who said he needed to be more patient working out of double-teams moving forward. Phoenix plays four games in Week 9, beginning with the Nuggets on Monday.

Harden wasn’t efficient with 19 points on 18 shots, including making only 2-of-9 attempts from behind the 3-point line. Even worse might’ve been that he turned the ball over seven times and had only three assists. Harden was -4 in 37 minutes in the 16-point loss to Dallas. He was probably due to regress after scoring 41 points on 17 shots Monday, but this wasn’t one of his better performances.

Powell has had at least 28 points in three straight games now. With Paul George in Philadelphia and Kawhi Leonard recovering, Powell has become an indispensable piece of the Clippers offense. Even with James Harden handling the ball, there’s plenty of room for Powell to continue scoring like this.

With Luka Doncic out, Irving jacked up a bunch of shots. He only had 16 points on a whopping 25 attempts in a pathetic shooting display. Irving had six assists and only turned the ball over one time. He was +12 in 38 minutes in the 16-point victory. He blew the opportunity for a big game with all of his misses.

Thompson can’t be counted on for rebounds and assists and this isn’t his best scoring season by a long shot. Still, in the games where he’s scoring, he’s going to hit some threes and there could be multiple steals. Klay didn’t even see increased usage with Luka Doncic out as he only took nine shots, he just had an efficient game. It probably would’ve been better if the shots weren’t so spread out in this one.

Among Trail Blazers starters, Ayton has been Portland’s most valuable player from a fantasy standpoint. However, the stat lines may feel underwhelming, especially with the limited defensive production. He did not record a steal or blocked shot on Saturday, and he’s averaging 0.8 steals and 0.9 blocks per game on the season. While 7th-round fantasy value isn’t bad, consistent defensive production would do wonders for Ayton.

While he didn’t shoot the ball well against the Spurs, Simons has been a top-25 player in 9-cat formats over the past two weeks. The improved production has boosted his season-long value, but only slightly. Simons remains ranked well outside the top 100 in season-long value, and there’s always the concern of a shutdown later in the season. Portland plays three games in Week 9, beginning with the Mavericks on Monday.

Sharpe has scored 25 points or more in consecutive games twice this season, with his current run being the first since November 13-17. While the season-long fantasy value remains low, he has provided 10th-round value in 9-cat formats over the past two weeks. The limited assists and defensive production weigh down Sharpe’s value in category leagues. Still, he’ll be worth rostering later in the season once Portland decides to sit some of its veterans.

With Zach Collins sidelined, Bassey has emerged as an occasionally worthwhile streamer in extremely deep leagues. Saturday’s double-double was his second of the season, the first being a 16-point, 12-rebound effort against the Pelicans on December 8. However, the other games have been underwhelming, making Bassey more of a “matchup play” than a player who should be held until Collins returns.