NBA Player News

The deal hasn’t been completed yet, but D’Alessandro is expected to take on an internal operations position according to Chris Dempsey of the Denver Post. The Kings’ front office has been in shambles for some time now, so the writing was on the wall for D’Alesandro. On a side note, Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee hinted that this hurts Mike Malone’s chances of getting the head coaching position (Malone was let go by the Kings earlier in the season), so this will definitely be a situation worth monitoring.

Because Saturday’s game was a blowout, James played only 28 minutes. The good news for fantasy managers is that he was productive in those minutes, finishing one assist shy of a double-double while shooting over 50 percent from the field. James did record four turnovers, but the overall production helps compensate for that. He’ll look to build on Saturday’s performance when the Lakers host the Pelicans on Tuesday.

Dončić has the fifth-highest scoring average in league history for players on their birthday, but his start to Saturday’s game was a bit subdued. He shot 4-of-10 from the field in the first half, instead appearing to make a more concerted effort to get his teammates going. The Lakers put up 65 points in the first half and weren’t challenged after halftime, leading to Dončić playing just 28 minutes. The Lakers play four games in Week 19, starting with the Pelicans on Tuesday.

Williamson sprained his right ankle early in the second quarter of Saturday’s game, and the Pelicans have ruled him out for the rest of the night. In 11 minutes, he recorded four points, one rebound and two assists. New Orleans visits the Clippers on Sunday, so they may have to account for the absence of a starter. If Dejounte Murray plays on Sunday and Zion doesn’t, Bryce McGowens could get another start. Jeremiah Fears, who played well during the first half, replaced Williamson in the lineup to begin the third quarter.

While George was back in the Wizards’ lineup after sitting out Thursday’s loss to the Hawks, he was one of three starters under a minutes restriction. He logged 15 minutes against the Raptors, with Tre Johnson (eight points, three rebounds, one block and one three-pointer) and Tristan Vukčević (13 points, three rebounds, three assists, one block and three three-pointers) logging 19 apiece. After getting off to a hot start to the season, George’s fantasy value has lost its luster due to injuries and subsequent minutes limits.

None of the Wizards’ five starters exceeded 23 minutes on Saturday, with Coulibaly leading the way in that category. He was productive in those 23 minutes, but the Wizards’ rotation continues to be a frustrating one for fantasy managers to fill out. Coulibaly hasn’t been the best fantasy option this season, and it’s fair to question if that changes in the final six weeks of the regular season. With Washington’s four-game Week 19 beginning with a back-to-back, there isn’t much to gain from picking up Coulibaly.

While Kyshawn George’s return pushed Riley back to the bench, the rookie still played starters’ minutes on Saturday. Not only did he lead the Wizards in points and minutes, but Riley was also the only player on the team to surpass 30 minutes. Even if Riley continues to come off the bench, playing time should not be an issue, given that multiple players — including George — are under minutes restrictions and the Wizards’ focus on holding onto their first-round pick. Washington plays four games in Week 19, starting with the Rockets on Monday.

After coming off the bench in Wednesday’s loss to the Spurs, Poeltl was back in the starting lineup on Saturday due to Collin Murray-Boyles (thumb) not being available. And he recorded his first double-double since November 11 and the third of the season. Poeltl is still rostered in 78 percent of Yahoo! leagues, so there weren’t a lot of managers who gave up on him. That patience was rewarded on Saturday, but it’s fair to question whether this will be the norm for Poeltl the rest of the season.