NBA Player News

The former Seton Hall has been playing in the G League with Westchester, putting up 17.8 points, 4.0 assists, 3.3 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 2.8 triples. He’ll provide some emergency depth but is a long shot to make a blip on the fantasy radar.

For the first time in his young NBA career, Mara played over 30 minutes in a game. He logged 32 minutes against the Trail Blazers, but the final stat line wasn’t strong enough to make the rookie a must-start in all leagues. Mara replaced Kenrich Williams (11/2/2 with one block and two three-pointers) in the starting lineup, and who starts moving forward may be dictated by the opposition’s rotation.

The Thunder didn’t have Ajay Mitchell for Wednesday’s game, opening a spot in the starting lineup for Caruso. He took advantage of the opportunity, shooting 4-of-5 from beyond the arc. Caruso’s 14 points were a new season high for him, as he totaled 17 points in the first four games he played upon returning from an ankle injury. If Mitchell remains out for Friday’s game against the Clippers, Caruso would be worth rostering in 14-team leagues and some 12-team leagues.

After totaling 19 points in Oklahoma City’s first five games of November, Hartenstein recorded his first 20-point game of the season on Wednesday. The negative for iHart was the turnovers, of which he was responsible for six. A few of the turnovers were due to offensive fouls, so there isn’t much to worry about there. Rostered in 83 percent of Yahoo leagues, Hartenstein is providing top-100 fantasy value, slightly better than his ADP.

Gilgeous-Alexander has scored at least 30 points in six games this season. Unfortunately for him and the Thunder, the team’s lack of established scorers proved costly in both losses to the Trail Blazers. Five other Thunder players scored in double figures, with Isaiah Hartenstein’s 20 leading the way. The lack of creators who can take some of the pressure off of Gilgeous-Alexander was evident in both losses to the Trail Blazers. He’ll remain an elite fantasy option, but SGA’s ceiling may have taken a slight hit because a few of his teammates are injured.

A double-digit scorer in seven straight games, Holiday provided solid fantasy value on Wednesday. In addition to the 19 points, he shot 5-of-8 from beyond the arc and recorded good numbers in assists and steals. Through 11 games, Holiday has been close to a top-100 fantasy player, something most managers did not expect before the season began.

Replacing Scoot Henderson (5/2/2 with one three-pointer) in the starting lineup ahead of Tuesday’s win over the Thunder, Cissoko played well in both victories. The Trail Blazers wing totaled 36 points, five rebounds, three assists, one steal and seven three-pointers in Portland’s two-game sweep of Oklahoma City. While Cissoko isn’t a must-add player right now, he’s worth watching in deep leagues to see if the last two games were a fluke.

While Lillard didn’t lead the way offensively for the Trail Blazers as he did in Wednesday’s win over Oklahoma City, the production remained solid. He’s scored at least 20 points in seven of Portland’s first 11 games, and Dame has started every game. As long as he stays healthy, Lillard should be able to deliver a top-100 season, if not more.

One night removed from scoring 24 points in a win over the Thunder, Avdija was just as productive in the rematch. The 28 points were the most he’s scored in a game since November 2, when the Trail Blazers forward hit that number in a win over the Nuggets. While there were questions before the season began about Portland’s offensive pecking order, there haven’t been any issues so far, even when the currently injured Ja Morant was healthy. That’s great for those who used a top-50 draft pick on Avdija.

Melton’s final stat line wasn’t much to write home about, but his role may expand for Friday’s game against the Spurs. Stephen Curry left Wednesday’s game with an abdominal injury and is expected to undergo an MRI on Thursday. If Curry misses time, Melton will have a larger role, whether he moves into the starting lineup or continues to come off the bench.

For the first time this season, Podziemski has scored at least 20 points in consecutive games. He finished with a solid stat line, missing only a blocked shot. And the Warriors may need even more from Podziemski in the short term, as Stephen Curry left Wednesday’s game with an abdominal injury.