NBA Player News

Sunday’s matchup wasn’t the easiest for Sarr, especially after the Rockets inserted veteran center Orlando Robinson into the lineup. The rookie missed all five of his 3-point attempts and did not attempt a free throw; his physicality will need to improve, but that should happen as Sarr adds muscle to his lithe frame. If anything, Sarr’s play shows why the Wizards signed Jonas Valanciunas in free agency. The veteran’s presence will help the rookie acclimate to the NBA without having too much responsibility immediately thrown his way.

Matković got the starting nod in this game, with head coach Jamahl Mosley opting to take DeAndre Jordan out of the rotation entirely. Matković played 28 minutes to Derik Queen’s 22 and was more productive. If this rotation continues until Yves Missi (knee) returns, Matković could have some value in deeper leagues. On the other hand, Queen’s lack of opportunity continues to be frustrating.

Fears has started all year, but with Dejounte Murray (personal) out for this game, he was able to be the primary playmaker for New Orleans, and the results were excellent. He approached triple-double territory, and the defensive stats were a huge bonus. Fears hasn’t been great this season, but he went off to help the Pelicans get their first win of the year. If Murray were to end up being traded at some point this season, Fears would likely see the usage he got in this game. That won’t lead to many performances of this level, but it should help his overall production.

Post is not expected to return to this game, which will leave Isaiah Stewart as the primary backup center behind Zach Edey. Post had been playing well with 10 points and four rebounds in seven first-half minutes.

With Dejounte Murray (personal) unavailable for this game, Jones started for the first time this season and made a big impact. The box score numbers didn’t pop, though the two steals didn’t come as a surprise. However, they outscored the Kings by 27 points during his 32 minutes, with nobody else on the Pelicans posting a plus/minus in double figures. Jones hasn’t played a large enough role to be worth rostering in fantasy basketball, but he was able to take advantage of the opportunity in this game.

This was a quiet night for Sabonis as a scorer, but he was still able to impact the game in other ways. They were outscored by 12 points during his 40 minutes, and the turnovers were frustrating, but the well-rounded stat line will help make up for that. It’s a weird situation for the 0-5 Kings, and it wouldn’t be surprising if Sabonis was moved later this season. However, as long as he’s on the floor, he’ll continue to stuff the stat sheet.

For the third straight game, Achiuwa got the starting nod in place of Keegan Murray (ankle), and this was his best performance of the season. He set a new season high for scoring and nearly finished with a double-double. Murray is set to be re-evaluated in early November, but Achiuwa should have at least a few more starts, making him worth considering as a streaming option with the Kings playing four games next week.

It was a rough start to the year for Hunter, but he was able to score a season-best 24 points in their previous game on Tuesday. In this one, he matched that mark, though he knocked down one less three-pointer. Hunter has been hot during this two-game stretch, but he won’t continue to score 24 points every night, and his lack of production in other categories makes him a difficult player to justify rostering.

The trend of Acuff’s field goal percentage improving every game continued in this one, which resulted in the best game of his young career. Acuff became just the fourth teenager in NBA history to have at least 30 points and 10 assists in a game, and while it didn’t lead to a win, it was an impressive performance. He cooled off in the second half after entering the break with 21 points, but it still led to a fantastic outing for the rookie in just his fifth game. It may not be this gaudy or efficient every night, but Acuff should continue to have plenty of usage all season.

Wiggins continued to shine off the bench for Atlanta. He has scored in double figures in every game this season, and after being held to just 10 points in Wednesday’s loss to the Heat, he responded with a new season high for scoring in this one. He has been excellent in fantasy basketball thus far, mostly because he is averaging 3.0 triples per game and has hit at least two shots from beyond the arc in every game this season.

24 hours after NAW scored 23 points in a loss to Miami, he was able to surpass that mark in a win. His scoring had been slightly down since he dropped 31 points in the season opener, but he has been able to get back on track as of late. Outside of a drop in free throw percentage, his production has been in line with what he did during last season’s breakout. If he continues to contribute to this level, he’ll be one of the better players in fantasy basketball once again.