NBA Player News

Bowen may have the best chance of making the team considering he suited up for the Wolves at Summer League, but none of these guys are guaranteed a regular-season roster spot, and are therefore safe to ignore in fantasy hoops.

Murray wasn’t as productive in the defensive stats as he was in Friday’s loss to the Warriors, but he racked up two more steals while doing a little more offensively. The shots may be somewhat inconsistent due to the need to feed De’Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis, and DeMar DeRozan, but Murray will have his opportunities. He’s worth a middle-round pick in standard league drafts, and the Kings’ need for another capable defender could boost Murray’s defensive production.

Fox had an opportunity to tie Tuesday’s game and force overtime, but his 3-point attempt in the final seconds was long. He didn’t have a great night shooting the basketball, but the rebounds and assists were solid, and Fox only committed two turnovers. The percentages weighed down Fox’s fantasy value last season, but he’s a relatively safe top-40 pick in most leagues.

The winner of the last two NBA rebounding titles, Sabonis appears primed to win a third in 2024-25. One game after grabbing 13 boards against the Warriors, Domas recorded 16 in a close loss to the Jazz. Eleven of the 16 rebounds were of the offensive variety, and Sabonis finished two assists shy of a triple-double. He shouldn’t last past the third round in fantasy drafts, and he’ll have added value in two-center leagues.

Collins provided solid value off the bench on Tuesday, but it appears unlikely he’ll be on the floor with Walker Kessler often this season. Kessler (10 points, nine rebounds, one assist, and four blocks) played 27 minutes to Collins’ 20, and they were not on the court together at any period on Tuesday. While this is bad news for managers hoping Collins can approach top-100 value, this is a positive for managers with Kessler and Taylor Hendricks.

Sexton has played well throughout the preseason, showing he’s worth selecting with a top-100 pick in standard league drafts. The ability to play either guard position serves him well in fantasy basketball, provided Sexton consistently plays under control. Also boosting his value is that availability isn’t a concern, with Sexton playing all 82 games last season.

Less than a week after he injured his knee in an exhibition game against the Mavericks, George was back on the court. The second-year point guard played 29 minutes without issue and was productive as a scorer and distributor. George may not be an elite fantasy point guard, but he’ll have considerable value playing for a rebuilding team.

Nnaji started Tuesday’s game for Nikola Jokic and took advantage of the opportunity. While he wasn’t particularly active as a scorer, Nnaji recorded impressive defensive numbers. The Nuggets signed Dario Saric in free agency, and his arrival should serve as a “wake-up call” to Nnaji. If so, he can become a viable option in extremely deep leagues as Jokic’s primary backup.

Denver played Tuesday’s game without Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, thrusting Porter into the role of primary scorer. While this could have resulted in an increase in shots for MPJ, it also means the absence of two critical creators (and added defensive attention). Porter was solid against the Thunder, but he’s a supplementary player whose ceiling is raised when Denver’s star talents are also on the floor.

After starting the first two exhibition games in which Oklahoma City did not rest most of its key players, Caruso came off the bench on Wednesday. Isaiah Hartenstein (11 points, three rebounds, three assists, one steal, and one block in 21 minutes) started alongside Chet Holmgren while Caruso was brought off the bench. Neither Caruso nor Hartenstein will lack minutes during the regular season, but the former’s fantasy value takes a hit if he’s the one who comes off the bench.

Denver played Tuesday’s exhibition without Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, so it’s unsurprising that SGA and company rolled to a 30-point victory. Gilgeous-Alexander had a productive 20 minutes on the floor, but the 3-point production stands out in particular. Last season, he only had eight games of at least three 3-pointers made. Gilgeous-Alexander doesn’t have to morph into Stephen Curry, but adding that shot to his game would make a near-impossible player to defend even more lethal.