Damian

Jones

Merrill has struggled recently, and he scored a total of 15 points over his last four games. However, he had a big game off the bench as both a scorer and a playmaker. He shattered his previous career-high of six assists and led an impactful bench unit in this game. Damian Jones added 14 points off the bench, and Caris LeVert dished out nine dimes. This was the first time in Cleveland’s history that three players had at least nine assists, and they set a new season-high for assists with 38. Merrill has had some effective games this season, but as long as he is coming off the bench, he isn’t worth rostering in standard leagues.

Allen injured his ankle during the third quarter of Thursday’s game, initially returning to the bench before heading back to the locker room. With Evan Mobley (knee) not playing, Damian Jones has played rotation minutes behind Allen. He becomes more important if Allen misses time.

Thompson has averaged just five points and five boards across 15.5 minutes over his last 20 games, so this suspension won’t have much of an impact on lineup decisions for fantasy hoops managers. With Evan Mobley still on the shelf, Damian Jones could pick up a few extra backup center minutes behind Jarrett Allen.

Allen has been out for the past two and a half weeks, and there is no indication that this will be the only game he misses. Cleveland experimented with Evan Mobley as the starting center and Caris LeVert in the staring unit, as well as Damian Jones at center. It’s unclear which lineup they’ll open with against Brooklyn.

Cleveland gave its most important players the night off (and Jarrett Allen is injured), which opened the door for Wade and Damian Jones to start at power forward and center. Wade had a good night shooting the basketball, knocking down three of his four attempts from beyond the arc while leading the team with eight rebounds. Even with the signing of Georges Niang (six points, two rebounds, one assist, one steal, one block, and two 3-pointers in 19 minutes) this summer, Wade appears to be a lock for rotation minutes. Jones may not be so lucky, but he did chip in with 11 points, four rebounds, and three blocked shots in 21 minutes on Monday. Jones was perfect shooting the basketball, going 2-of-2 from the field and 7-of-7 from the foul line. While there may be minutes available to Jones if Allen isn’t ready for the start of the regular season, it would likely be as Evan Mobley’s backup, which isn’t great for potential streaming value.

There’s just one change from the starting lineup that J.B. Bickerstaff rolled out for Cleveland’s preseason opener against the Hawks on Tuesday. Jones will start, with the Cavaliers going back to a two-big lineup, with Caris LeVert not being available. Jones’ fantasy value once the season begins will depend on whether or not Jarrett Allen (ankle) is cleared to play and if Bickerstaff chooses to stick with a two-big lineup. At best, he’ll be a deep-league streamer until Cleveland gets its starting center back.

The new CBA is getting to everybody. Jones wasn’t much of an asset in Utah, and he’ll continue to only be a depth piece in Cleveland.

Jones was acquired by the Jazz this season as part of a three-team trade with the Lakers and Timberwolves. He didn’t see much game action with the Lakers however he saw an increased role with the Jazz, seeing his minutes increase from 8 mpg to 15.8 mpg.

The positive from Olynyk’s performance was that he finished two assists shy of what would have been his first career triple-double. The negative: he turned the ball over seven times on the night. Olynyk’s averaging 2.4 turnovers per game on the season, so nights like Thursday have not been the norm for him. Utah being without Lauri Markkanen and Walker Kessler meant more touches for Olynyk, which does boost his fantasy value in leagues that are still active. However, with the veteran big being a known commodity at this point, it’s fair to wonder how much he’ll play in Utah’s final two games. Expect to see more of Udoka Azubuike (12 points, seven rebounds, and one block in 25 minutes) and Damian Jones (four points, two rebounds, one steal, and one block in 21 minutes) if the Jazz decide to lighten Olynyk’s workload.

Kessler took a hit to the head during the third quarter of Sunday’s game, with the decision being made shortly thereafter that he will not return. He played 22 minutes, finishing with six points and eight rebounds. With Kessler done for the day, Udoka Azubuike will get more minutes, while Damian Jones could move into the rotation after not playing at all in the first half.