JT

Thor

Charlotte declined Thor’s fourth-year option in late June, and the unrestricted free agent has found a new home. Cleveland has one of the strongest frontcourt rotations in the Association, so minutes will be hard to come by for the South Sudanese big man. Thor logged just 12.4 minutes per game for the Hornets a season ago, and he won’t be on the fantasy radar in 2024-25.

After three quiet seasons in Charlotte, Thor will get the chance to start fresh elsewhere. He played 12.4 minutes per game last season, so this won’t have a dramatic impact on their rotation, especially with Tidjane Salaun in the mix now.

The final day of the regular season consistently churns out bizarre stat lines, which was the case for Thor. Thrust into a starting role, he recorded his first career double-double with a full (and efficient) stat line. That’s not a bad way to head into the offseason. However, this does not change Thor’s fantasy value for next season. A lot would have to go his way to clear out the rotation role that would make him worth selecting in any fantasy draft.

It has already been reported that Micic will only play a few minutes in this game, which means that Charlotte will really have an eight-man rotation. Thor and McGowens make the move into the starting unit after coming off the bench in their last game.

Richards and Williams sat out their last game, and Bertans will join them on the sidelines for this one. With Brandon Miller and Miles Bridges also out, there will be plenty of minutes at forward to go around. Aleksej Pokusevski and JT Thor should fill a lot of those, with Marques Bolden once again seeing most of the minutes at center.

Micic is active after a one-game absence, which will push JT Thor to the bench. Thor wasn’t worth streaming for Wednesday’s game against Portland, so his return to the bench will not impact fantasy basketball. Micic being in the lineup also means fewer playmaking opportunities for Tre Mann, the lone point guard in the starting lineup on Wednesday.

Micic is expected to be back after missing their last game, and Williams should be available as well. Micic’s return, along with Miles Bridges being back, will push JT Thor and Davis Bertans to the bench. Williams has been starting, but Nick Richards is questionable, so if he is back, Williams will return to playing a reserve role.

While the absences of Miles Bridges and Nick Richards freed up minutes and the opportunity to start for Thor, few fantasy managers were expecting a high-level performance from him. He was solid in his 27 minutes, shooting 80% from the field while also tallying five rebounds and a blocked shot. Whether or not he’s worth a look moving forward depends on the availability of Bridges and Richards, but deep-league managers won’t miss out on much if they leave Thor on the waiver wire.

With Miles Bridges and Vasilije Micic joining Nick Richards on the sidelines, Charlotte will roll out Bertans and Thor in the starting unit. Mann will shift over to point guard and take on the playmaking responsibilities that Micic has been handling.

Pokusevski was initially questionable for Sunday’s game. His absence frees up rotation minutes for the Hornets’ bench players to absorb. Bryce McGowens and JT Thor are players whose minutes could increase, but neither is worth streaming in this pot.