NBA Player News

Drummond, who appeared in 67 games this season as Nikola Vucevic’s backup, will make a little under $3.4 million should he follow through on the plan to opt-in. While he was effective in that role, playing less than 13 minutes per game considerably limited Drummond’s fantasy value. At best, he’s a player worth rostering only when Vucevic is sidelined due to injury. And those opportunities will be minimal, as Vooch has appeared in 70 games or more in four of the last five seasons.

Strus was back in the lineup after sitting out the first leg of this back-to-back, and he ended up starting for the first time this season. He wasn’t able to match his season-high 29 points that he scored on Friday, but he remained efficient. Still, the lopsided score limited him to 23 minutes, so it ended up being a subpar night. If he remains a starter when Sam Merrill, Jaylon Tyson and Dean Wade are all healthy, Strus should be a reliable option for fantasy managers for the rest of the season.

Allen sat the first leg of this back-to-back, but he was able to lead the Cavaliers in scoring in his return to the lineup. All 18 of his points came before halftime, and he didn’t end up seeing the floor much after the break. This was an ugly loss for the Cavs that was somewhat redeemed on the scoreboard during the fourth quarter. Allen only played 19 minutes in this game after playing 18 in his return on Friday, though both games were blowouts. He’ll likely continue to have his minutes managed in Golden State on Thursday.

Ingram was a late scratch for Sunday’s win over the Magic, but returned Tuesday with 22 points in the loss to the Pistons. The 28-year-old small forward didn’t do much else in his 31 minutes, adding just one rebound and one three-pointer. The Raptors still have three games left in Week 23 for Ingram to have a more complete game.

Robinson missed Monday’s loss to the Thunder as he was managing a right hip injury. The 31-year-old small forward returned Tuesday and had 19 points against the Raptors, making five three-pointers. Robinson will continue to be a solid source of threes when available. There should be enough off days for him to play in both of the Pistons’ remaining games in Week 23.

Jenkins was excellent as he continues to give the Pistons what they need with Cade Cunningham (lung) sidelined. The 24-year-old point guard, who started the season on a two-way contract, had 21 points in 37 minutes in the win over the Raptors. He’s provided ninth-round per game value over the last two weeks. The Pistons have two games remaining in Week 23, starting with a matchup against the Timberwolves on Thursday.

After starting 12 of his last 13 appearances, Dieng was pushed to the bench for this game with Milwaukee rolling out its healthiest lineup in a while. Still, Dieng was able to have a productive outing as a reserve, though it wasn’t an efficient performance. Dieng will continue to play big minutes for the Bucks for the rest of this season, which should allow him to make an impact for fantasy managers. He’ll look to keep it going in Houston on Wednesday, with multiple starters likely to be unavailable for the second leg of this back-to-back.

In his return from a four-game absence, Kuzma was immediately able to make a big impact in the box score. He scored 20 points in his final game before the absence, but prior to that, his production came inconsistently. Kuzma hasn’t been a reliable option in fantasy basketball this season, though he should still be able to provide some value down the stretch of this season, even if it won’t be as efficient as it was in this game often.

Duren had a huge game as the Pistons took down the Raptors without Cade Cunningham (lung). The 22-year-old center is now averaging 23.4 points, 10.6 rebounds and shooting 68 percent from the field in the last seven games without Cunningham. Duren has provided second-round per game value over the last two weeks. The Pistons have two games remaining in Week 23, starting with a matchup against the Timberwolves on Thursday.

Following a one-game absence with a hip injury, Rollins returned to help the Bucks end a four-game losing streak. He nearly recorded a triple-double and had a much better scoring performance than in his last appearance, when he was held to 12 points in 5-of-15 shooting. Rollins continues to be a strong candidate to win the Most Improved Player award, and he’ll remain productive when available for the rest of the season.

Towns’ eight rebounds were just the second time in his last eight games that he’s had less than 10 rebounds. The 30-year-old center bounced back with 22 points after scoring 15 and 13 points in his two previous games. Towns has provided third-round per game value over the last two weeks. The Knicks have two games remaining in Week 23, starting with a matchup against the Grizzlies on Wednesday.