NBA Player News

Although his minutes were lower than usual due to the game being a blowout, Irving provided solid value in points, assists, 3-pointers, and percentages on Tuesday. He remains a top-10 player in 9-cat formats and a top-20 player in 8-cat. Given Irving’s track record, it’s understandable if some managers anxiously await an extended absence for the star guard. But it hasn’t happened yet

Since grabbing 12 rebounds in a December 30 loss to the 76ers, Jackson has recorded six rebounds or more in three of his last nine appearances. That includes Wednesday’s six-rebound performance, one that was plagued by foul trouble. And the fouls weren’t limited to the defensive end of the floor, as there were a couple called due to illegal screens. Jackson has been a top-50 player over the past two weeks, and having Ja Morant on the floor should help, but the rebounding and fouls need to be cleaned up.

After six consecutive games of ten points or less, Wells snapped out of his slump on Wednesday. During that six-game run, the second-year guard shot 25.5 percent from the field, which obviously isn’t going to get it done for the Grizzlies or for fantasy managers. And Wednesday’s 18-point night occurred on a night when the guard shot 6-of-16 from the field. Wells is rostered in nine percent of Yahoo! leagues and with good reason, as the production has been inconsistent to put it kindly.

Playing stateside for the first time since January 2, Morant finished Wednesday’s defeat with his third double-double in as many appearances and eighth of the season. The Grizzlies’ point guard had a chance to win the game in the final seconds, but his three-point attempt missed the mark. Morant did commit five turnovers, but that was the lone negative. Overall, he’s been very good in his first two games back from injury, a positive development for those who have Morant rostered.

Kennard has logged at least 19 minutes in seven of his last eight games, with his minutes increasing when the shots are falling. The Hawks’ guard was 4-of-5 from beyond the arc in Memphis, with the 18 points being double his tally from the prior three games combined. Kennard still isn’t at the point where he can be trusted in fantasy leagues, but more nights like Wednesday could change that.