NBA Player News

Williams only appeared in six games last season before having to undergo season-ending knee surgery. According to Cronin, the Time Lord has been playing 5-on-5 and will be ready to go when the regular season begins. However, the Blazers will likely hold Williams out of some preseason activities to keep him fresh. With Deandre Ayton still on the roster and Donovan Clingan being the team’s lottery pick, Williams isn’t in a great spot regarding fantasy potential. He’ll likely need a trade (either him or Ayton) to make himself relevant in standard leagues.

McBride starred in their first preseason game, scoring a team-high 22 points off the bench. However, with him sidelined for this game, Tyler Kolek should get extended minutes behind Jalen Brunson, who will likely only play a small role in this exhibitiion.

Brown logged less than 10 minutes per game for Portland last season, and he joined the Lakers for the Las Vegas Summer League without landing a deal. He’ll now compete for a roster spot in New York with a front court depth chart that includes Karl-Anthony Towns, Mitchell Robinson and Precious Achiuwa, among others.

Washington Jr. has appeared in 79 contests for the Pacers and Suns across his first two NBA seasons. He’ll look for a new home before the 2024-25 campaign tips off on October 22.

Exum logged 19.8 minutes across 55 appearances for the Mavs last season. His early absence should free up additional playing time for Spencer Dinwiddie and potentially Quentin Grimes or Jaden Hardy.

Due to injuries, Whitehead only played a few games for the Nets as a rookie. The 2023 first-round pick is well off the radar in fantasy basketball, but he’s one of the Nets who may have value during the second half of the season. There’s no need to draft Whitehead outside of dynasty leagues, but he is someone to be mindful of after the trade deadline.

Williams was traded to Brooklyn by the Grizzlies during the offseason. While that means he’s unlikely to play for a contender in 2024-25, there should be more opportunities to show what he can do as a pro. Williams played well in Brooklyn’s preseason opener, attacking the basket consistently and providing solid scoring off the bench. The complete stat line will intrigue fantasy managers, especially if Brooklyn falls out of contention relatively early, as many expect. Williams is not a player who should be drafted, but deep-league managers will want to have him on their watch lists for later in the season.

In Brooklyn’s preseason opener, three was Clowney’s lucky (or unlucky) number. The second-year forward missed all three of his 3-point attempts and was responsible for three turnovers. Add in the points, rebounds, and assists; Tuesday night was difficult for Clowney. With Day’Ron Sharpe (hamstring) out until mid-November at the earliest, the door is wide open for Clowney to claim minutes behind starter Nic Claxton. Even with Tuesday’s performance, the opportunity makes him worth a late-round flier in drafts.

Thomas was solid in Brooklyn’s preseason opener, shooting the ball reasonably well while keeping the turnovers (one) to a minimum. Given the track record, fantasy managers know Thomas’ appeal comes in the form of points and 3-pointers. That limits his ceiling in category leagues, but Thomas has the potential to be a stud in points formats. Given Brooklyn’s lack of consistent scorers, he should be the second Net off the board in most fantasy drafts, following Nic Claxton.

With injuries limiting Simmons to 15 games last season and 57 over the previous three, it’s understandable that many fantasy managers would have “trust issues.” He was on the court for Brooklyn’s preseason opener in San Diego, starting as part of a Nets lineup that lacked a true center (Nic Claxton is out). Simmons and Dorian Finney-Smith both took on the responsibility of defending Ivica Zubac, but this is not a lineup we should see much of once the season begins. At best, Simmons is a player you take a late-round flier on. If injuries sideline him in that scenario, fantasy managers haven’t lost too much.

Jones made his lone field-goal attempt, a first-quarter 3-pointer just below the break. Corner triples may be where his bread is buttered offensively this season, especially in a lineup that includes James Harden and Kawhi Leonard (the latter remains sidelined). As for fantasy value, he won’t be worth the risk in most leagues, even with the defensive stats produced on Tuesday. Jones hasn’t averaged at least 1.5 combined steals and blocks in a season since 2020-21, and for his career, he’s contributed 0.6 steals and 0.7 blocks. The athleticism hasn’t translated into stats, making him a non-factor in fantasy once the inconsistent offensive production is added to the equation.