Raymond

Felton

This is not what the Nuggets needed with the postseason around the corner, although reports are that the injury isn’t believed to be serious. Lawson is a critical piece to a Denver team that’s hoping to make a postseason run, and his absence would mean a serious helping of Raymond Felton.

Swaggy P will be reportedly joined by a bevy of other notable free agents in Vegas: Terrence Jones, Luc Mbah A Moute, Corey Brewer, Raymond Felton and Thabo Sefolosha.

Dennis Schroder should benefit the most in Westbrook’s absence, while Paul George will soak up extra usage and Raymond Felton should join the rotation. For every two techs Westbrook gets after No. 16 he’ll face another suspension, so hopefully he can keep his cool in the final 11 games for which he’ll be active. This also means he’ll play just two games in Week 23, a brutal turn of events for his fantasy owners.

Schroder missed two games after the birth of his child, but there was never any thought he’d sit out after the break. Deonte Burton and Raymond Felton both take a backseat with Schroeder back in his sixth-man role.

Schroder is celebrating the birth of his child and he’ll be able to do so through the All-Star break. Deonte Burton and Raymond Felton will pick up the slack in his absence on Thursday.

Felton was one of two Thunder reserves who established season-highs in point Monday, with Deonte Burton (career-high 18) being the other. The absence of Dennis Schroder opened up minutes for Felton, and the veteran point guard did a solid job of supplementing the efforts of starting point guard Russell Westbrook.

“I’d be lying to you if I said it’s not tough,” Felton told The Athletic. “It’s tough. It’s heartbreaking at points. But at the same time, I know my role.” Now 34, Felton has played just 15 games this season and sits third on the PG depth chart. As long as Russell Westbrook and Dennis Schroder are healthy, Felton won’t have a consistent path to minutes.

This is a new injury for Schroder, who has yet to miss a game due to injury this season. He’s averaging 29.2 minutes in 38 appearances for OKC this season, including ten starts. If Schroder is unable to play Tuesday, Raymond Felton would likely re-enter the rotation as Russell Westbrook’s backup. Abdel Nadar could see an uptick in playing time as well.

The veteran recently served a one-game suspension for leaving the bench, but few fantasy owners will have noticed since he’s not in the rotation most nights.

He left the bench on Monday against the Bulls and will not play. The Thunder could’ve used him today because they won’t have Dennis Schroder, so Russell Westbrook won’t have a backup today. Expect Westbrook and Paul George to get slightly more minutes while Hamidou Diallo, Alex Abrines and Abdel Nader could play more.