NBA Player News

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra sat his entire starting five and a few other critical contributors for Friday’s preseason finale, freeing up additional minutes for Ware. The rookie played well in Memphis, recording a full stat line with four defensive contributions. The issue for Ware is that he didn’t spend much time playing alongside Bam Adebayo during the preseason, and Thomas Bryant appears to be the preferred option to serve as the backup center. Currently, Ware’s a better option in dynasty leagues than redrafts.

Davis has been matchup-proof for most of the year and dominated every team they’ve played. However, he really struggled in this one. He only had two points after halftime, and he scored less than 20 points for the fourth time in their last six games. Davis was a top three player in fantasy basketball for the first month of the year, but he has struggled recently, just like the team has. They’ll look for him to get back on track in Miami on Wednesday.

It has been an incredibly rough stretch of games for LeBron, who failed to hit a 3-pointer for a fourth straight game. This was by far his worst of the year as he scored a season-low 10 points and turned it over six times. Typically, he has been able to make up for the lack of scoring by dishing out assists, but he wasn’t able to do that either. It was the second night of a back-to-back, which might simply not be an option for a player that turns 40 this month. We’ll see if he can get back on track in Miami on Wednesday.

After missing their last game, Russell was back in the lineup for this one. With Austin Reaves still sidelined, Russell was able to get the starting nod in this one, and he took advantage of the opportunity. It has been a frustrating season for D’Lo, but with both Anthony Davis and LeBron James struggling, he stepped up. It wasn’t enough to make this a close game, but it was encouraging to see Russell set a new season-high for scoring. He has put together a few strong performances recently, so hopefully he can maintain this momentum.

Giddey was finally able to record his first triple-double as Bull, and he almost had one in the second half alone. He had 10 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists after the break as Chicago broke the game open. This was his best performance since being traded this summer, and it reminds managers of what he can do in fantasy when he’s clicking. He’ll look to keep it going in San Antonio on Thursday, which will be game two of a four-game week.

With Coby White sidelined, Julian Phillips got the start, but it was Buzelis that ended up taking advantage of the opportunity. He had the best game of his young career, which is exciting for dynasty managers. His role will likely be inconsistent for the rest of the year, barring some trades at the deadline opening up extra minute for him. That makes him difficult to roster in redraft formats, even if he played well in this one. Keep an eye on him, since he could earn extra minutes if they continue to deal with injuries.

Vooch stayed hot in this game despite not needing to do much. He only took 11 shots, which was one of his lowest outputs this season. Still, he was efficient and had his seventh 20-point double-double of the year. He continues to shoot the ball at an incredibly high percentage, which held true in this game. Vooch will continue to provide elite value in fantasy basketball until he cools off, though it may be a while before that happens.

Schroder cooled off offensively after three straight games with at least 20 points, but he was able to record his third double-double of the season. He was one of the few veterans available for the Nets in this game, and he’ll continue to put up numbers as the team’s point guard, barring a move at the trade deadline. Schroder has been fantastic this year and will certainly be a target for contending teams that likely won’t want him in a high usage roles like he has had with Brooklyn.

Outside of scoring 30 points on eight 3-pointers a few games ago, Martin hasn’t been able to contribute much value this season. In his last start, he only scored eight points in 25 minutes, and he only played eight mintues off the bench in their last game. However, he played well as a starter in this game. It’s difficult to rely on him due to the inconsistent production, but he has the upside to contribute in multiple categories.

This was only Whitehead’s fifth NBA game and only the second where he played more than three minutes. With a performance like this, it makes sense that he set a ton of career-highs. The former five-star’s college and professional career have been plagued by injuries, so this game was a testament to his hard work. Whitehead only got this chance because of injuries, but with the Nets focused on building for the future, he should continue to have a role moving forward. This type of night may not happen often, but he is worth adding off the waiver wire after this.

Hunter only scored 18 points in their last game, which put an end to his 20-point streak, though he reached that mark once again in this game. Hunter has thrived in a reserve role for the Hawks this year, though most of his contributions in fantasy have come through efficient points and 3-pointers. He is a good defender, but he doesn’t contribute defensive stats, which has always been an issue for him. However, Hunter has been one of the Hawks’ best scorers this year, and that should continue moving forward.