NBA Player News

Not to be confused with DeMarcus Cousins, this big man shouldn’t have any fantasy value, but this could mean Andrei Kirilenko and Paul Millsap could miss some time with their injuries.

Adebayo has been awesome on offense recently, outside of the game against the Warriors last Saturday. Over his last six games, he has scored at least 20 points in five of those and is averaging 23.7 points, 8.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.2 steals and three triples per game. He set a new season high for scoring in this one and will look to stay hot against Utah on Saturday.

Since making his return from a strained calf on January 13, Hachimura’s playing time has increased steadily. Thursday’s game was the second straight in which he logged 28 minutes, and the Lakers’ forward was solid. The question now is whether Hachimura is locked into the reserve role or will he reclaim his place in the starting lineup. Jake LaRavia (7/5/1/3/4 with two three-pointers) was highly productive as a defender on Thursday, but he only played 22 minutes as the starter. That’s something to be mindful of as the Lakers move forward.

While Thursday’s production may have been pedestrian by James’ lofty standards, his fantasy value is approaching the level many fantasy managers expected it to be before the season began. A top-30 player in eight-cat formats over the past two weeks, LeBron’s season-long value is rapidly approaching his Yahoo! ADP (36). As long as he remains healthy, getting back to that level should not be too much of a challenge for the 41-year-old.

While Dončić was more efficient than his counterpart, James Harden, it was the Clippers’ point guard who left Intuit Dome with the victory. However, fantasy managers don’t have to worry about team results, so this was a great night to roster Dončić. In addition to posting his 21st double-double of the season, the Lakers guard committed just one turnover, the third time this season he’s had that few in a game. The Lakers continue their road trip on Saturday in Dallas, which is their final game of Week 14.

Back in action after a three-game absence, Leonard was limited to 25 minutes on Thursday. He made the most of his time on the floor, averaging nearly one point per minute and finishing a blocked shot shy of a complete stat line. With the Clippers not having a back-to-back until the end of Week 15, hopefully that means Leonard will be able to get into a rhythm and not worry about taking an injury management night. Kobe Sanders came off the bench on Thursday, finishing with 11 points (4-of-6 FGs), four rebounds, one assist, one steal and three three-pointers in 24 minutes.

For the first time since late November, Zubac has hit double digits in rebounds in five consecutive games. The 19 boards accumulated on Thursday weren’t a career-high, but they were a season-high for the 7-footer. Decreased scoring production has negatively affected Zubac’s fantasy value this season, but there have also been decreases in rebounds, steals and blocked shots. While he remains a top-100 player in eight- and nine-cat formats, Zubac’s fantasy ceiling has been lower than many expected.

While Harden finished with a double-double and solid production in the rebound category, fantasy managers took a beating from an efficiency standpoint. In addition to a 6-of-21 night from the field, the Clippers’ point guard recorded seven turnovers. Over his last two games, Harden has been responsible for 16 assists and 13 turnovers. While the track record shows that high-turnover nights are going to happen because of Harden’s usage, combining that with a supbar shooting night can be challenging for some fantasy managers to overcome.

Jakučionis got the starting nod with Davion Mitchell (shoulder) sidelined. That wasn’t surprising since he recently started in place of Mitchell when he was out. What was both surprising and frustrating was that he only played 11 minutes and was unproductive during his time on the floor. If Mitchell remains out against the Jazz on Saturday, it likely won’t be worth streaming Jakučionis.

Avdija exited early from Thursday’s game after feeling discomfort in his back. He just missed three games with a back injury, so they opted to play things safe. He should be good to go against Toronto, where he’ll look to stay red hot.

After being held to single digits for the first time since before Christmas on Sunday, Love was able to get back on track in this game. Still on a two-way deal, Love has been impressive as a scorer. He’s averaging 15.8 points per game in January, which is third among rookies. His fantasy impact is really just points and three-pointers, which gives him some value, but his impact is limited.