NBA Player News

Fernando has missed Toronto’s last two games, but his absence has not significantly impacted the Raptors rotation or fantasy basketball. He surpassed 11 minutes in just one of his seven games before the ankle injury. Starting center Jakob Poeltl will continue to play most of the minutes, with Chris Boucher and Jonathan Mogbo available to absorb what’s left.

Fontecchio broke out in a big way Sunday afternoon after shooting a combined 5-of-21 from the field in games against Greece and Georgia. The Italian forward shot 7-of-10 from beyond the arc on the day as his team beat Bosnia and Herzegovina despite its head coach being ejected early in the third quarter. Fontecchio’s role with Italy does not match what he’ll be asked to do with the Heat next season, but his catch-and-shoot ability will be critical. Sunday’s performance was a reminder of the value he can offer in that area, even if 39-point games have not been the norm for him.

Antetokounmpo, who sat out the entire 2024-25 season after suffering a ruptured Achilles tendon in May 2024, is back with the Bucks on a one-year deal worth $2.9 million. While he is healthy and playing for Greece at FIBA EuroBasket, Thanasis is unlikely to be in a position where he’ll impact fantasy basketball next season. However, signing him to a guaranteed deal may curry favor with Giannis, whose future in Milwaukee has been a subject of the NBA rumor mill throughout the offseason.

France went cold in Sunday’s 82-69 defeat at the worst possible time, going more than four minutes without a point during the fourth quarter. They could not come up with an answer for Israel’s 2-3 zone, flipping the game on its head. The good news for France is that Risacher played relatively well on Sunday, providing solid value on both ends of the floor in his 24 minutes off the bench. He’ll look to help France rebound when it faces Poland on Tuesday.

Having lost to Poland on Saturday, Israel entered Sunday’s game against France needing a win to improve its chances of advancing out of the group stage. They got the job done, thanks to the offensive production of Avdija and former Boston Celtics draft pick Yam Madar (17/4/3/2 with two three-pointers) and the decision to switch to a 2-3 zone during the second half. Israel turned a 10-point deficit into an 82-69 victory, holding France without a point for more than four minutes during the fourth quarter.

Bogdanovic injured his hamstring during Serbia’s win over Portugal in the team’s second EuroBasket group stage game. According to the Serbian basketball federation, he has been diagnosed with a hamstring tear and has returned to Los Angeles to undergo treatment under the observation of the Clippers’ team doctors. The severity of the injury remains unknown, but at a minimum, Bogdanovic will not play again at EuroBasket. The question now is how long the recovery process will take and whether he’ll be healthy when training camp opens in late September.

After suffering losses to Poland and France in its first two group stage contests, Slovenia earned its first victory on Sunday. Unsurprisingly Dončić led the way, becoming the fourth player since 1995 to record a triple-double in a EuroBasket game. Also, he is now the youngest player to reach 400 points in a EuroBasket career, knocking Tony Parker out of the top spot. Dončić is one of three Slovenians to reach that milestone, with Goran Dragic and Jaka Lakovic being the others. While Sunday’s victory does not mean Dončić and Slovenia are out of danger regarding qualifying for the knockout rounds, it is a step in the right direction in a tight Group D.

As was the case in Greece’s win over Italy on Thursday, the Georgians had no answer for Antetokounmpo. The Milwaukee Bucks forward, who did not play in Saturday’s rout of Cyprus, only missed two shots from the field on Sunday while also shooting a respectable percentage at the foul line. Games against Bosnia and Herzegovina and Spain to end the group stage will likely challenge Giannis more than either of the first two contests he’s appeared in at this EuroBasket.

Aldama was held to 12 points in Thursday’s loss, and he was able to turn in a far more effective performance in Saturday’s blowout victory. Spain, who won the last EuroBasket tournament, will need Aldama to produce at a high level to have a chance to repeat as champions. He’ll look to stay hot against Cyprus on Sunday.

Avdija scored 20 points in Israel’s win over Iceland on Thursday, and while he was able to surpass that mark and stuff the stat sheet in other ways, it wasn’t enough for them to start EuroBasket 2-0. Avdija will continue to lead the way for Israel throughout the tournament, with France next up on the schedule on Sunday.

Queta bounced back after a quiet performance against Serbia. This still didn’t match his monster game against Czechia, but it was still a decent outing for him. He may need to play a significant role for the Celtics next season, and more performances like this will be encouraging for fantasy managers.