NBA Player News

Budinger is averaging 12 points, two threes, and 1.5 steals in his last four games, and is worth a look if you need help in those categories.

Portland was without Robert Williams (knee) for this game, which allowed Clingan to set a new season high for minutes. He set a new season high for blocks, but ultimately, his production didn’t change much. Clingan’s lack of minutes has been disappointing, but if it can continue to have between 26-30 minutes per game, he should be able to play to his fourth-round ADP, especially if he is blocking shots at this rate.

Avdija’s production is slightly down from last season, but he continues to be the primary scoring option for Portland. He only scored 18 points in the season opener, though he only played 24 minutes because of the lopsided score. Since then, he has averaged 24.3 points and 7.3 assists per game while shooting 51.1 percent from the floor. If Avdija can continue t shoot this efficiently, he’ll be even better than he was last season.

Lillard has been excellent for a 36-year-old coming off a torn Achilles, but he struggled in this one. This was just Portland’s first loss of the season, and Lillard should get back to producing how he was previously. He isn’t the player he once was, but Lillard will continue to be a productive player, mostly as a reliable source of three-pointers and assists.

Quinten Post (ankle) exited this game early, which allowed Stewart to be the primary backup center. He did most of his scoring after Post’s exit, with 15 of his 18 points coming in the second half. Stewart has been solid as a reserve for Memphis this year, though this was his season high for scoring. Unless he’s filling in for Zach Edey as a starter, Stewart shouldn’t be rostered outside of deep leagues. This level of scoring won’t come consistently.

It took just five games for Boozer to record his first triple-double, and Memphis now sits at 5-0. His field goal percentage has been horrendous so far, with this being his first time shooting at least 50 percent from the floor. However, he has been excellent from the free throw line and has poured in the rebounds and assists. The shooting percentage should regulate, which will vault his fantasy value. He’s just getting started, and it won’t be long before Boozer is considered one of the premier players in fantasy basketball.

Less than an hour before tipoff, it was reported that Jerome was questionable for this game with back tightness. Despite the flare up, he was able to start, though it ended up being his worst performance of the season, and he only played 24 minutes. This is worth keeping an eye on, especially ahead of their next game against the Kings on Saturday. Cam Spencer and Scotty Pippen Jr. would fill out the point guard minutes if Jerome were unavailable.

Morant was ruled out more than halfway through the fourth quarter, and they pulled the starters a couple minutes later. This could have been precautionary, but the team should provide more of an update in the coming days. Scoot Henderson and Jrue Holiday should take on more minutes if Morant misses time, with Jrue likely starting.

Matković got the starting nod in this game, with head coach Jamahl Mosley opting to take DeAndre Jordan out of the rotation entirely. Matković played 28 minutes to Derik Queen’s 22 and was more productive. If this rotation continues until Yves Missi (knee) returns, Matković could have some value in deeper leagues. On the other hand, Queen’s lack of opportunity continues to be frustrating.

Fears has started all year, but with Dejounte Murray (personal) out for this game, he was able to be the primary playmaker for New Orleans, and the results were excellent. He approached triple-double territory, and the defensive stats were a huge bonus. Fears hasn’t been great this season, but he went off to help the Pelicans get their first win of the year. If Murray were to end up being traded at some point this season, Fears would likely see the usage he got in this game. That won’t lead to many performances of this level, but it should help his overall production.

Post is not expected to return to this game, which will leave Isaiah Stewart as the primary backup center behind Zach Edey. Post had been playing well with 10 points and four rebounds in seven first-half minutes.