Jose

Calderon

He is a little closer to doubtful to play after a knee injury from the weekend. Calderon has really struggled on both ends and the team might not want to put him at the mercy of Russell Westbrook. Fantasy owners can plan on him sitting while Langston Galloway figures to start again.

The 38-year-old point guard out of Spain averaged a career-low 12.9 minutes per game last year in his 49 appearances with the Pistons, primarily operating as the third-string point guard on the roster, but it seems unlikely he’ll get another deal at this point with most the league set at PG. Calderon is reportedly uninterested in playing outside the NBA, so if no one calls, he’s likely going to call it quits on his career.

Smith was sidelined for 19 games in December due to an abductor injury, then missed six more contests after re-injuring it upon his return last month. He did return to the lineup for each of the Pistons past two games, but will sit out Tuesday to recover. Jose Calderon will serve as Reggie Jackson’s backup at the point.

Now that Ish Smith is back, Calderon should remain out of the rotation.

He did play down the stretch, which is more about Reggie Jackson than anything else. Calderon could be in the rotation while Ish Smith (groin) is out, but he’s nowhere near the fantasy radar unless you’re in a very deep league.

He’s been out for a little over a month, but he won’t have an official minutes cap in his first game back. With Smith back in the rotation, Jose Calderon is likely headed for a DNP-CD and Langston Galloway’s minutes could take a hit. Smith isn’t worth owning in most leagues.

He’s still listed as probable on the latest injury report for their game against the Jazz, setting him up to return after over a month on the sidelines. Smith should take the backup PG role away from Jose Calderon, and he will be a low-end assist specialist for deep-league owners once he gets his legs under him.

It does sound like Ish Smith (torn right adductor) is getting closer to a return, and he’s been doing on-court work since late December. His return will tighten an already unfavorable backcourt rotation, with guys like Luke Kennard (12 points in 19 minutes), Bruce Brown (24 minutes) and Jose Calderon (13 minutes) candidates to lose a few minutes.

The 24 minutes were a season-high high for Calderon, who has assumed the backup point guard role with Ish Smith (groin) out. He’s played more than 20 minutes in each of his last three games and has registered at least four assists in each contest. Calderon actually played most of the minutes down the stretch over Reggie Jackson in this one and Dwane Casey loves to play two point guards together. He’s not the most attractive fantasy asset, but he’s worth a look in very deep leagues.

Calderon was used as the backup point guard with Ish Smith (groin) out and is likely to fill that role as long as he’s out. Langston Galloway, and possibly Luke Kennard, will eat a portion of Smith’s minutes, making Calderon better off left on the waiver wire.