NBA Player News

Alvarado struggled mightily in their loss to Serbia on Wednesday, and while he wasn’t able to change the outcome of this game, he was far more effective. He was the team’s leading scorer and was one of three players to score in double figures. They finished 0-3 in group play, so the next time we will see Alvarado suit up will be back in New Orleans, where he will be the backup point guard behind Dejounte Murray.

George injured his knee during Monday’s exhibition in Atlanta and immediately exited the game. The good news is that doctors found no structural damage, but he may not be ready for Philadelphia’s season opener on October 23. With Joel Embiid (knee) also in doubt for the opener, Tyrese Maxey is of even greater importance to the 76ers. In the short term, Kelly Oubre and Caleb Martin will have added fantasy value.

After undergoing a procedure on his right knee during the offseason, Leonard will not see any game action before the Clippers’ regular season opener on October 23. While he’s questionable for that matchup with the Suns, Leonard has not even gone through contact drills in practice. Following Monday’s preseason win over the Mavericks, Clippers coach Tyronn Lue confirmed that the five who started (James Harden, Norman Powell, Terance Mann, Derrick Jones Jr., and Ivica Zubac) will most likely hold those roles to begin the season. Powell becomes more attractive as a late-round option in standard leagues, while Mann and Jones are better suited for deeper formats.

George injured his knee during the first quarter of Monday’s game and walked back to the bench without assistance shortly after. Before Monday’s game, it was also made clear that, like Joel Embiid, George’s availability in back-to-backs may be inconsistent. So, Monday’s development certainly concerned fantasy managers. Recent developments boost Tyrese Maxey’s value in the early rounds of drafts, while Kelly Oubre Jr., Andre Drummond, and Caleb Martin are more appealing as late-round targets.

Joiner averaged 7.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game for the College Park Skyhawks last season. He’s not likely to make Atlanta’s opening night roster and become a relevant fantasy player soon.

Bouknight didn’t pan out with the Charlotte Hornets after being selected 11th overall in the 2021 NBA Draft. He averaged just 3.6 points per game in the 14 NBA contests he appeared in last season and isn’t likely to crack Portland’s deep guard rotation.

Maker hasn’t played in the United States since his 2022 stint with the Long Island Nets while Nowell spent most of his time with the 905 Raptors after signing with the Toronto Raptors. Neither is expected to play meaningful NBA minutes in 2024-25.

Grimes fell out of the New York Knicks’ rotation last season before being traded to the Detroit Pistons and is trying to regain fantasy relevance. The 3-and-D wing posted his bet stat line yet for the shorthanded Mavericks, but there’s no evidence to suggest that he’ll get many shots with Kyrie Irving, Luka Doncic, and Klay Thompson running the team’s offense.

Legal troubles caused the Houston Rockets to release KPJ ahead of the 2023-24 season and now he’s trying to find his way into the rotation on a new team. The lefty combo guard has his work cut out for him backing up one of the league’s top playmakers in James Harden, but he could have some major performances in 2024-25 in games where the Clippers’ health or foul trouble open opportunities for him to play more.

Sanogo made the most of his start and was dominant as a scorer and rebounder. He’s productive when he gets enough minutes but they’ll be hard to come by playing behind Nikola Vucevic and Jalen Smith.

Walker drew a start and logged a team-high 38 minutes with no Pascal Siakam in the mix. Fantasy managers shouldn’t expect him to carry a heavy workload or high shot volume into the regular season, though.