Nick

Smith Jr.

A late addition to the Hornets’ injury report, Williams will not play, and his absence is more impactful than Smith’s regarding fantasy basketball. Jusuf Nurkic will likely move into the starting lineup, and Moussa Diabate should also have more minutes available. As for Smith, he did not play in Wednesday’s loss to the Pacers, resulting in Seth Curry moving into the starting lineup. Curry should retain that role against the Kings.

Smith Jr. missed Wednesday’s game against Indiana and could miss another. Both DaQuan Jeffries and Josh Okogie took on extra minutes off the bench with Smith Jr. sidelined and could take on even more minutes with Josh Green sidelined if Smith Jr. misses another game.

Smith Jr. was downgraded to questionable Wednesday afternoon and subsequently ruled out with a left ankle injury. Taj Gibson is also out with an illness. With Smith Jr. out, DaQuan Jeffries and Josh Okogie figure to take up the vacated minutes.

After initially being listed as probable, Smith Jr. has been downgraded to questionable ahead of Charlotte’s matchup with Indiana. He has played a significant reserve role recently, so if he is sidelined on Wednesday, DaQuan Jeffries and Josh Okogie should take on extra minutes.

While Smith is on the Hornets’ initial injury report for Wednesday, the probable tag suggests he’ll be available to play. The second-year guard has come off the bench the last four games, serving as DaQuan Jeffries’ backup. That’s unlikely to change if Smith is available on Wednesday.

Smith Jr. and KJ Simpson led the Hornets in playing time, but it was Smith Jr. who had the better night as a scorer. Simpson turned in nine points on 3-of-12 shooting, while Smith Jr. posted his 19 points on 7-of-16 shooting, including a 3-of-5 mark from downtown and a perfect 2-of-2 from the charity stripe. With LaMelo Ball out for the season and Charlotte eyeing a potential chance at drafting Cooper Flagg, Smith Jr. should see significant minutes down the stretch.

Ball is dealing with an ankle injury while Okogie continues to manage a hamstring injury. KJ Simpson, Nick Smith Jr., DaQuan Jeffries and Seth Curry are all candidates to benefit from the vacated minutes.

Green is off the injury report after sitting out Sunday’s loss to the Heat. His return means Nick Smith Jr. will head back to the bench, a role in which the second-year guard offers limited fantasy value.

Smith started a game for the first time since March 8, as the Hornets were without Josh Green. The second-year guard, who struggled as a starter earlier this season, took advantage of his opportunity on Sunday. Smith has reached double figures in four straight and five of his last six appearances. While this hasn’t done much for his fantasy value, streaming Smith in deep leagues is something fantasy managers can consider doing. That was not the case at the beginning of March.

Green will not play against the Heat due to a sore left shoulder, opening up a spot in the starting lineup. Nick Smith Jr. is a potential replacement, but the second-year guard has not been productive enough to merit being streamed in most leagues.