3 weeks agoMiami Heat forward
Jimmy Butler intends "to play as many games as possible" this season. "I don't need to put a number on the amount of games that I play," said Butler after Saturday's practice. "I know the more games that I play, the more opportunities that my squad has of winning. I do know that." There's no question Butler is one of the most talented players in the National Basketball Association. However, he's struggled to stay healthy, logging 65 games or fewer each season since 2016-17, his last with the Bulls. It's important to note the veteran is looking for a new contract, which may give him plenty of incentive to stay on the floor this season. But if he can remain healthy, Butler is at least a top-25 fantasy option.
--Dennis Clausen - RotoBallerSource: Anthony Chiang
3 weeks agoSacramento Kings guard
Kevin Huerter (shoulder) was cleared for full-contact work. The 26-year-old had the best season of his career in 2022-23, his first in Sacramento, averaging 15.2 points and shooting 40.2% from deep. However, he averaged only 10.2 points in 2023-24 and sustained a season-ending shoulder injury, resulting in a procedure in April. Huerter still has a chance of overtaking
Keon Ellis for the starting job at the two spot. Still, it will be tough for him to be a consistent fantasy producer, regardless of his role, considering the Kings have
De'Aaron Fox,
DeMar DeRozan, and
Domantas Sabonis as the primary scoring options. At any rate, Huerter has a few more hurdles to clear, although he should be ready to play soon.
--Dennis Clausen - RotoBallerSource: Jason Anderson
3 weeks agoNew Orleans Pelicans shooting guard
Jordan Hawkins will have the green light to bomb away from deep this season. The Pelicans started the preseason with a 106-104 win over Orlando, attempting 40 shots from three-point range. Hawkins took five of them, sinking two attempts. He led all scorers with 18 points. "They are telling me, 'Shoot a lot of 3s,' " Hawkins said after the game. "They definitely are trying to get up as many 3s as possible. It's definitely a big emphasis this year." Hawkins averaged 4.4 attempts from behind the arc during his rookie campaign last year, hitting with a 36.6 percent clip to average 7.8 points. His scoring numbers are bound to get a considerable boost with more attempts from downtown.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Christian Clark
3 weeks agoOklahoma City Thunder guard
Cason Wallace (ankle) was back in action against Houston on Wednesday. He suffered a mild ankle sprain in Monday's preseason opener against San Antonio but ended up not missing any preseason action. Wallace logged 21 minutes off the bench in Wednesday's 122-113 overtime loss, posting six points with two rebounds and two assists. The 20-year-old had a strong finish to his rookie campaign and will look to impress further in his sophomore year. However, Wallace doesn't have a lot of fantasy value in normal circumstances, and only injuries would boost his stock.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
3 weeks agoCharlotte Hornets shooting guard
DaQuan Jeffries (hand) has been diagnosed with a fractured right fifth metacarpal and looks set to miss an extended period. A more specific timeline for his return hasn't been announced. Jeffries suffered the injury in Tuesday's preseason game against Miami. The 27-year-old joined the Hornets as a result of the
Karl-Anthony Towns trade at the start of the month. He rarely played with the Knicks last season, but Charlotte has given him a decent look in preseason. However, the hand injury has cut Jeffries' preseason short.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Charlotte Hornets PR
3 weeks agoNew York Knicks point guard
Miles McBride missed Wednesday's preseason game against Washington because of an illness. McBride led the team to a 111-109 win over Charlotte in the preseason opener last weekend with 22 points, but he was feeling under the weather ahead of Wednesday's game and couldn't shake off the illness. McBride had some spectacular moments last season, but his fantasy value will be limited as long as the Knicks stay healthy. The 24-year-old needs to recover by Sunday to not miss any further preseason action.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Stefan Bondy
3 weeks agoNew York Knicks center
Jericho Sims played only a couple of minutes on Wednesday against Washington because of an ankle injury. The 25-year-old exited the action without registering any stats. With
Mitchell Robinson (ankle) sidelined, Sims has an opportunity to carve out a role in the rotation for the beginning of the season. But he will need to stay on the court to make an impression, and unfortunately, that wasn't the case on Wednesday. New York is now off until Sunday, giving Sims some rest time, but it might not be enough, depending on the severity of the injury.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Kristian Winfield
3 weeks agoSacramento Kings shooting guard
Malik Monk exited Wednesday's preseason game against Golden State early due to personal reasons. In typical fashion, Monk provided microwave scoring off the bench, notching 13 points in 10 minutes. But he went to the locker room in the second quarter and missed the rest of the contest. League sources have told Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee that Monk isn't expected to be away from the team for an extended period. Monk looks set to spend another campaign as the Kings' sixth man. He found a lot of success in the role last season, averaging 15.4 points and 5.1 assists, and will be a good fantasy option for managers again.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Jason Anderson
3 weeks agoSacramento Kings guard
Kevin Huerter (shoulder) has been ruled out ahead of Wednesday's preseason matchup against the Golden State Warriors. Huerter continues to recover from a procedure in April to repair a torn labrum. He has been increasing his involvement in practice, but Huerter has yet to be cleared for 5-on-5 activities. The team hasn't said when Huerter will return, but the hope is that this isn't something that lingers into the regular season. The absence of Huerter should mean more minutes for
Keon Ellis and
Malik Monk.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: James Ham
3 weeks agoGolden State Warriors guard
Brandin Podziemski and center
Kevon Looney will move into the starting five ahead of Wednesday's preseason matchup against the Sacramento Kings. Head coach Steve Kerr is experimenting with his lineups which is never a bad idea during the preseason. He'll replace
De'Anthony Melton and
Trayce Jackson-Davis with Podziemski and Looney on Wednesday. It doesn't seem that Kerr has decided on a starting unit yet. However,
Stephen Curry and
Draymond Green are locks and
Jonathan Kuminga seems to have earned his spot as well. Podziemski posted promising numbers last season and figures to have a significant role whether it's starting or off the bench. The 21-year-old averaged 9.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 3.7 assists last season.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: Anthony Slater
3 weeks agoToronto Raptors forward
Scottie Barnes (personal) is expected to be on the court for Friday's preseason matchup against the Washington Wizards. Barnes missed the preseason opener due to personal reasons, but he has already returned to practice. This will be his first game action since suffering a season-ending hand injury in the beginning of March. The 23-year-old is hopeful to get back to the way he was playing last season. Barnes posted 19.9 points per game, 8.2 rebounds, and 6.0 assists which are all career highs for him. Fantasy managers shouldn't expect this hand injury to have lingering effects and Barnes should be ready to go for the season opener.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: Josh Lewenberg
3 weeks agoDallas Mavericks guard
Dante Exum (wrist) won't be ready for the season opener and is expected to miss a significant amount of time. Exum will require right wrist surgery that is going to sideline him for at least three months. The loss of Exum is certainly a hit to this Mavs bench heading into the regular season. Last year, Exum averaged 7.8 points, 2.9 assists, and 2.7 rebounds in 19.8 minutes per game across 55 games with Dallas. The 29-year-old put up his best numbers in years and finally looked like he found his groove in Dallas. Now,
Spencer Dinwiddie and
Jaden Hardy will likely be asked to pick up the slack with Exum sidelined to begin the season. Between the two, Dinwiddie figures to be the more attractive fantasy option.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: Shams Charania
3 weeks agoMemphis Grizzlies guard
Ja Morant (ankle) was forced to exit early during Monday's preseason game against the Dallas Mavericks. Morant twisted his ankle in the first half, but returned to the contest. However, he re-aggravated the issue in the second half and was forced to exit for the rest of the night. Further testing revealed that Morant has suffered a mild ankle sprain. Head coach Taylor Jenkins says the team plans to proceed with caution. However, Morant is expected to be fine for Opening Night. It's uncertain if Morant will play in Thursday's preseason game, but fantasy managers shouldn't have to worry about his availability heading into the regular season.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: Damichael Cole
3 weeks agoThe New York Knicks have signed center
Moses Brown to an Exhibit 10 deal on Wednesday. The 24-year-old has bounced around quite a bit since his rookie season with the Portland Trail Blazers in 2019. In fact, Brown has played with six different organizations since joining the league. Most recently, Brown played 22 games with the Blazers, averaging 3.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 0.3 assists in 9.1 minutes per game. The Knicks are fairly loaded in the front court with
Karl-Anthony Towns,
Mitchell Robinson, and
Precious Achiuwa. It looks like Brown is going to compete for a bench spot, but is unlikely to have fantasy value.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: Ian Begley
3 weeks agoAtlanta Hawks center
Onyeka Okongwu (toe) didn't feature in the team's preseason opener against Indiana on Tuesday. The energetic big man underwent a toe procedure in April and appears to be still recovering from it. The Hawks have their next preseason outing scheduled for Monday.
Clint Capela will likely be set for a big workload at the start of the regular season if Okongwu isn't ready to play. The team has also added
Larry Nance Jr. and
Dominick Barlow to the frontcourt this offseason.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Brad Rowland
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