Isaiah

Joe

The Thunder are getting business done early on a Monday morning. Shortly after it was announced that they were giving Aaron Wiggins a new contract, Shams broke the news of this deal. Both Joe and Wiggins have been important rotation pieces for the Thunder in recent years, especially during their playoff run a few months ago. They’ll continue to be vital reserves and make a large impact on winning, but they aren’t players that will alter the fantasy landscape much.

Despite struggling in Game 5, Joe remained in the starting lineup for Game 6. He rebounded, shooting 3-of-4 from three and reaching double figures. Joe hasn’t been much more than a fantasy streamer during the regular season in Oklahoma City, but he, Cason Wallace, and Aaron Wiggins are worth watching this summer. Josh Giddey, who went from starter to playing limited minutes, is extension eligible, and this could be viewed as an opportunity to move him this summer. If so, Joe, Wallace, or Wiggins could be in play as a late-round option, depending on the potential return.

Thunder coach Mark Daigneault changed the starting lineup for Game 5, with Joe replacing the ineffective Josh Giddey. Joe picked up two quick fouls and could not offer much value in his 21 minutes on the court. While Giddey (11 points, three rebounds, two assists, and one 3-pointer) shot 5-of-8 from the field, the minutes total (12) is a clear sign that he isn’t trusted in this series. The question ahead of Saturday’s Game 6 is whether or not Daigneault will stick with Joe as the fifth starter. And even if Giddey receives the nod, he’s unlikely to get the minutes needed to be of value to DFS players.

Oklahoma City has changed its starting lineup, with Joe replacing the ineffective Josh Giddey. With the defensive-minded Dort on the court, playing two non-shooters together wasn’t working for the Thunder. Giddey has lost minutes to Joe, Cason Wallace, and Aaron Wiggins throughout the series. He might remain in the rotation, but it’s unlikely that Giddey will reach 15 minutes.

Giddey played well over the final three games of their first round sweep of the Pelicans, but he hasn’t been able to replicate that success against Dallas. He has been a liability on both ends of the floor, which has resulted in him playing just 13.3 minutes per game through the first four games. Mark Daigneault hasn’t moved him to a reserve role yet, but he has basically been splitting minutes with Aaron Wiggins, Isaiah Joe and Cason Wallace. Joe ended up starting the second half in place of Giddey in this one. Don’t expect Daigneault to make a starting lineup change now, but all four players should continue to see minutes in the low teens, with the hot hand seeing a larger role.

Dort hasn’t missed a game since January, but he will get the night off against San Antonio. The rest of their starters will be available, which means that one of Cason Wallace, Aaron Wiggins or Isaiah Joe should slide into the starting unit in place of Dort, with the other two seeing a few extra minutes off the bench.

Williams has missed Oklahoma City’s last three games, with Aaron Wiggins starting two and Isaiah Joe one. If JDub remains sidelined on Tuesday, his replacement will be worth a look in active deep leagues. Oklahoma City hosts the Spurs on Wednesday, making it possible that Williams will sit out one of the Thunder’s two games in this back-to-back.

Joe is available after being considered probable on the initial injury report. He started Friday’s loss to the Pacers and could be called upon again as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams remain sidelined. Joe is worth streaming in deep leagues when allowed to start.

Joe started in their last game and should be available once again. It’s unclear if Mark Daigneault will start him again, but he had 10 points, four rebounds, three assists and two triples in 32 minutes on Friday. However, he has the ability to fill it up from deep.

JDub has missed the team’s last three games, but there is a chance that he returns to the lineup on Sunday. There have been two vacant starting spots that Mark Daigneault has been rotating players through, but Williams’ return will only leave Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s spot open. Hayward started in their last game, along with Isaiah Joe. It’s unclear what starting unit Daigneault will roll out, but Aaron Wiggins, Kenrich Williams and Cason Wallace will also be candidates, though all of these guys will at least play decent minutes off the bench.