T.J.

McConnell

Nembhard will sit out Friday’s game after playing 29 minutes in Thursday’s loss to the Thunder. His absence boosts T.J. McConnell’s fantasy value, while Ben Sheppard could be the player asked to fill the resulting void in the starting lineup.

On a night when starting point guard Tyrese Haliburton (nine points, two rebounds, eight assists, and three blocks) struggled to get going offensively, McConnell put on a show and nearly saved the Pacers from a bad loss. The 30 points are a career-high for the backup point guard, who shot a staggering 14-of-19 from the field. McConnell isn’t prone to scoring outbursts of this caliber, but he’s long proven himself to be a solid deep-league fantasy asset. Indiana is now off until Friday when the Pacers visit Philadelphia.

Nembhard was back in the starting lineup after missing Wednesday’s win over the Nets due to left knee injury management. The minutes tally was concerning for a starter but not necessarily surprising. T.J. McConnell is one of the league’s best backup point guards and shined in Chicago, finishing with 17 points, three rebounds, five assists, two steals, and one 3-pointer in 22 minutes. This isn’t always an equal timeshare, but McConnell’s presence means the Pacers can be patient with Nembhard.

Sheppard underwent an MRI that gave a better indication of a timeline for his return. It will be at least a few weeks, and Quenton Jackson should continue to start in his place. He has been solid, but T.J. McConnell is a better and safer streaming option.

Sheppard will miss a third straight game, which means Quenton Jackson should remain in the starting lineup. Jackson has been an 11th-round player over the last week, and T.J. McConnell is a better streaming option than him despite coming off the bench.

The start to the season hasn’t been what fantasy managers expected from Haliburton, but he has been better as of late. This was his fourth game this season with less than five assists after having just five last season, all of which came during games where his minutes were limited. He didn’t shoot the ball well in this game either, though he was able to provide seven stocks in this game, which was a nice bonus. TJ McConnell ended up leading the in assists in this game (10/3/7/5, +23 in 27 minutes), but he hasn’t been as productive this season as he was last year.

McConnell is back after sitting out Friday’s loss to the Hornets and is in for an increased workload with Andrew Nembhard (knee) sidelined. McConnell is worth a look in deep leagues due to the assist production he brings to the table.

Neither McConnell nor Nembhard played in Friday’s loss to the Hornets, with Ben Sheppard replacing the latter in the starting lineup. If both play, Sheppard’s minutes will decrease significantly. That will not impact fantasy basketball, as Sheppard should not be rostered in most leagues.

McConnell will not be available for Friday’s game, with his absence likely impacting both guard spots. Starters Tyrese Haliburton and Andrew Nembhard could see their minutes staggered even more than usual to ensure at least one is always on the court. Ben Sheppard could see more minutes off the bench, but he offers minimal streaming value.

McConnell lands on the initial injury report for Friday night due to an illness, and his absence would leave Indiana without a key reserve. If he cannot play, Rick Carlisle may try to stagger the minutes of starters Tyrese Haliburton and Andrew Nembhard a bit more to ensure one is always on the court. Nembhard may still be available in deep and standard leagues; he would be the only add worth making if so.