NBA Player News

Despite playing well down the stretch of last season, the free agency market did not open up for Achiuwa in the way he hoped it would. The Knicks are bringing him back, with ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reporting that the deal is worth $6 million for one season. That will give Achiuwa another opportunity to prove himself, especially as the backup to a starting center who has struggled to remain healthy (Mitchell Robinson). Achiuwa will be worth a late-round roll of the dice, and there will be times when he’s a worthwhile streaming target.

While Jackson and the Grizzlies lost by 39 points against the Hawks on Monday, the 21-year-old small forward still played 30 minutes. That allowed Jackson to put up 26 points, which led the Grizzlies. It’s Jackson’s third game this month with at least 20 points, though he’s averaging 11.5 points this season. Jackson isn’t a major fantasy asset, but he’s still one of the Grizzlies’ key contributors as the season winds down.

McCollum took on more of a playmaking role in this one with Jalen Johnson (shoulder) sidelined. The 34-year-old shooting guard had 15 points and nine assists in the blowout 146-107 win. McCollum was a team-high +31 in 22 minutes. He would’ve been able to have an even better fantasy game if the game was closer and he played more minutes.

Alexander-Walker has now scored at least 20 points in eight of his last 10 games. The 27-year-old shooting guard had 26 points in 26 minutes as the Hawks crushed the Grizzlies 146-107 on Monday. He could’ve had an even better game had the game been closer and he played more minutes. Alexander-Walker has provided eighth overall per game value over the last two weeks. The Hawks have three more games in Week 22 with a matchup against the Pistons on Wednesday up next.

The Clippers will roll out a starting lineup on Monday without John Collins, who will miss the game with an ankle injury. Batum will fill in for the injured Collins to provide the same sort of length and physicality at the forward position from the opening tip. The Clippers recently defeated the Dallas Mavericks to end a four-game losing streak, and a win on Monday would keep them in eighth place in the Western Conference standings, as the regular season nears its completion.

The Bucks will not have Kyle Kuzma for Monday’s game, as he is out with a sore right Achilles tendon. He’ll be replaced in the lineup by Sims, which should give the Bucks a needed boost on the glass. However, he does not bring much to the table as a scorer.

LeBron had an unusual game against the Pistons on Monday. The 41-year-old power forward didn’t score in the first half, which is the first time that’s happened since 2010. James still had six assists and four rebounds at halftime and ended up finishing just one assist shy of a triple-double. He recorded his 124th career triple-double last week. While James is now the Lakers’ third option on offense, he’s still provided top-50 per game value over the last two weeks.

Dončić had his technical foul from Saturday’s game rescinded, which kept a one-game suspension one technical foul away and thus allowing him to play against the Pistons on Monday. While Dončić was hardly efficient with 32 points on 29 attempts from the field, he had a typical Dončić game from a volume perspective with seven rebounds, six assists, three steals and three three-pointers. He’s provided second overall per game value over the last two weeks. The Lakers have two more games in Week 22 with a matchup against the Pacers coming on Wednesday.

Duren was limited to 21 minutes in Friday’s win over the Warriors due to foul trouble. The 22-year-old center bounced back with 20 points and 11 rebounds in 33 minutes in a close win over the Lakers on Monday. Paul Reed only played 15 minutes even without Isaiah Stewart, which makes him less exciting even in deeper formats.