NBA Player News

“Procedurally we have to wait for Monday (players may only be placed on waivers during business hours) for some reason, but we thought it was better to excuse the two guys from practice,” Rockets coach Rick Adelman said. Houston still needs to make one more cut before the regular season opens up.

The second-year center out of Clemson has been out of the rotation for the past month, but with Moussa Diabaté suspended, he was able to play 17 minutes off the bench. He took advantage of the opportunity and recorded the first double-double of his career. With Diabaté set to be sidelined for three more games, Hall should continue to get the chance to be part of the rotation.

With Moussa Diabaté serving the first game of his four-game suspension, Kalkbrenner returned to the starting unit. While he didn’t make much of an impact on the glass, he was able to immediately contribute blocks while maintaining an efficient field goal percentage. He played 24 minutes and should continue to see a similar role over their next three games after the All-Star break.

Johnson did a bit of everything in his return to the lineup after missing Monday’s game with a knee issue. He fell one assist shy of a triple-double, but he was still able to fill up the box score. Over his last five games, Johnson has averaged 26.8 points, 12.0 rebounds, 10.6 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.8 triples per game. His breakout season has resulted in his first All-Star appearance, and he’ll look to stay hot after the break.

Following a one-game absence with an ankle injury, Daniels was back in the lineup to take on Charlotte. He didn’t provide his typical dose of defensive production, but he was able to have a strong game offensively. This was just the fifth time this season Daniels has scored at least 20 points in a game, and he did it in just 26 minutes. Daniels has struggled as a scorer this year, and it is unlikely he is able to replicate this type of performance often.

Back in action for the first time since January 29, Johnson was limited to 18 minutes on Wednesday. While other Wizards have seen their playing time limited recently, one would assume that Johnson will play more after the All-Star break. That alone gives him “silly season standout” potential. A sneaky option who doesn’t need to be stashed is Jaden Hardy, who played 18 minutes in his Wizards debut and finished with 11 points, one rebound, one assist, and three three-pointers.

Coulibaly is one of the Wizards players fantasy managers will be watching his minutes as much, if not more, than his stat lines for the rest of the season. He shot the ball reasonably well against the Cavaliers, but was limited to 24 minutes. Justin Champagnie (12/4/2/2 with two three-pointers) came off the bench on Wednesday and also played 24 minutes. Coulibaly is most valuable to managers who need defensive production, but that doesn’t do them much good if his minutes are being cut for draft lottery reasons.

While George led the Wizards in scoring on Wednesday, he only played 24 minutes. And that may be the frustrating aspect of rostering him in fantasy leagues for the rest of this season. He doesn’t need much time to put up solid numbers, but the second-year wing has not exceeded 27 minutes in any of his last five appearances. Will Riley (4/4/2) shot a frigid 1-of-12 from the field but played 29 minutes. That may be the norm after the All-Star break.

Merrill put on a shooting clinic in the first half of Wednesday’s game, with the 26 points being the most he’s scored in a half in his NBA career. The sharpshooter knocked down two more triples in the second half, finishing with new highs in points (32) and three-pointers (nine). With Evan Mobley (calf) expected back after the All-Star break, Merrill or Jaylon Tyson (7/5/1/1) will be asked to come off the bench. For Merrill, he’s still capable of offering reliable fantasy value to those needing three-point production.

Playing in front of the Cavaliers faithful as a member of the team for the first time, Harden took a back seat as a scorer on Wednesday. He focused more on setting up his teammates, leading to 11 assists. Through three games in Cleveland, The Beard has accumulated 26 assists. He was responsible for six turnovers, but Harden totaled five in his first two appearances. The Cavaliers complete Week 17 with three games after the All-Star break.