NBA Player News

Wright went bonkers on Thursday and kept things going in his final Summer League game, and he’s showing why the team signing him to a two-way deal earlier this year looks like a smart move. Don’t expect his numbers in SL to translate to fantasy relevance, however, as Christian Wood and JaVale McGee were both acquired by Dallas earlier this summer and aren’t going to leave much room for Wright to operate. AJ Lawson looked nice with 19 points and some other goodies but did turn it over six times, while No. 37 overall pick Jaden Hardy coughed up the ball seven times to go with his 15 points. Jay Huff (13/2/4/1/3) was the best part of the Lakers’ side of the box score, but we aren’t too concerned with L.A.’s young guns given they don’t really have time to develop them with LeBron James entering his 20th season.

Smith entered the league as a high-caliber defensive prospect, but that hasn’t led to many defensive stats during his career. Those numbers are slightly up this year, but he still hasn’t been effective. However, in this game, he was able to make a massive impact on that end. He set a new career high for blocks and matched his season high for steals. That hasn’t been the norm for him, and managers shouldn’t expect that to continue moving forward. Still, it was an excellent night for him.

In his return to Atlanta, Capela was able to have a solid night in 18 minutes off the bench. He hasn’t been great in his first season back in Houston, but with Steven Adams (ankle) set to miss the rest of the season, Capela will be the primary center option off the bench moving forward. That isn’t going to result in much value in standard leagues, but if Alperen Şengün ends up missing any time, Capela could hold value as a streamer.

Durant gas been on fire recently, and he was able to have another strong scoring performance in this game. This was his fourth 30-point game in his last five appearances, and he shot better than 50 percent in three of those. Durant remains one of the best players in fantasy basketball and has provided top-15 value in nine-category leagues over the past two months. He should remain hot against the Mavericks on Saturday to wrap up this week.

The lone negative for Huerter was the overall field-goal percentage, as he knocked down four triples and recorded his first double-double of the season. However, there’s a reason Red Velvet is rostered in only nine percent of Yahoo! leagues. If Josh Giddey (hamstring) remains out and Jalen Smith (calf) can’t play on Saturday in Miami, there would be a little more room for Huerter to contribute offensively. However, that would be enough to make a player worth streaming in most leagues.

While Vučević recorded his 19th double-double of the season, he struggled offensively. In addition to the poor shooting, there were a few instances when teammates passed the ball elsewhere instead of allowing their starting center to take advantage of a mismatch. That led to a frustrated Vučević grabbing the dry eraseboard during a fourth-quarter timeout to show his teammates what was happening. We’ll see if that affects Vučević’s production when the Bulls visit the Heat on Saturday and Sunday.

A top-100 fantasy player for most of the season, Buzelis has provided top-75 value in eight-cat formats over the past two weeks. The ability to fill a stat line is why, and the Bulls’ forward has been more productive from beyond the arc. Over the past two weeks, Buzelis has made 2.9 three-pointers per game, one more than his average for the season. The Bulls head to Miami for their final two games of Week 15, a back-to-back on Saturday and Sunday.

After scoring just four points in the first half, Dosunmu had an outstanding second half for the Bulls. Inserted into the lineup due to Jalen Smith’s early exit with right calf tightness, Dosunmu scored 19 points in the second half, shooting 6-of-9 from the field. Add in the rebounds and assists, and the Bulls’ guard provided excellent value in his 31 minutes. Dosunmu’s role for Saturday’s rematch in Miami depends on the availability of Smith and Josh Giddey (hamstring), with the latter not playing on Thursday. If both sit, Ayo will be worth streaming.

Larsson continues to fill the void left by the injured Tyler Herro. Unfortunately, the second-year wing has not been consistent enough to merit being rostered in a higher percentage of fantasy leagues. Hopefully, Larsson can build on Thursday’s production when the Heat host the Bulls on Saturday and Sunday. Given the matchup, he’s worth considering in deep leagues but is not a must-stream player.