NBA Player News

Saturday is a busy day in the NBA, with many teams beginning the process of trimming down their rosters in advance of opening night. Orlando waived four training camp participants, with former lottery pick Culver boasting the highest profile. He was unlikely to factor into the rotation if retained, and the same can be said for Morales, Slawson, and Thompson. Look for some players to land with Orlando’s G League affiliate.

Queen did most of his damage offensively in the second quarter, scoring eight of his 16 points. However, of greater importance to fantasy managers may be the three blocks, a new season-high and two shy of the second-year forward/center’s career high. However, his defense remains a work in progress, even with the blocks recorded on Monday. While Queen has been a consistently productive option for fantasy managers, the defensive issues are why he’s averaging 22 minutes per game and not more.

Fears led the Pelicans with eight assists, but he also recorded six turnovers in Monday’s 138-87 defeat. This was one of his poorer performances of the season, and the Pelicans not having Trey Murphy or Zion Williamson didn’t help either. Fears will look to bounce back on Wednesday when the Pelicans host the Nets. That should be a better matchup for him than the red-hot Warriors were.

The Pelicans didn’t have Trey Murphy or Zion Williamson on Monday, and those absences were certainly felt. Murray shot a solid percentage from the field and led the Pelicans starters in scoring, but it wasn’t enough when the Warriors knocked down 21 three-pointers. Murray has been close to a top-50 player in nine-cat formats, but it’s fair to wonder if his presence in the lineup has limited Jeremiah Fears’ fantasy ceiling. That’s something to watch as the season progresses.

Melton was one of four Warriors to make at least four three-pointers in Monday’s blowout victory. With Brandon Williams suffering a hamstring injury in the first quarter, Melton is one Warrior whose minutes may increase if Williams misses time. Currently a player who should be rostered in deep leagues, some managers in 12-team leagues may be willing to roll the dice on Melton in the short term.

Lendeborg continues to shine for the Warriors, making all four of his three-point attempts on Monday. The rookie forward has scored at least 20 points in six of 11 games and is considered by many to be one of the early favorites for Rookie of the Year. The Warriors play two more games this week, at Houston and San Antonio, so we’ll learn a bit more about Lendeborg in games of that magnitude.

Podziemski shot 5-of-11 from beyond the arc on Monday, a season high for three-pointers in a game for the fourth-year guard. Even better for fantasy managers, Podz recorded a complete stat line, his third in as many games. Based on his ADP, Podziemski wasn’t expected to be a top-100 player this season. However, while it is early, he’s been a top-75 player in nine-cat formats.

Curry only played 21 minutes in Monday’s blowout victory, none in the fourth quarter. That’s all the time he needed to notch another career milestone, as the Warriors guard moved past DeMar DeRozan into 16th place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. Thus far, Curry’s production has exceeded his preseason ADP by a safe distance, as he’s been a top-5 player in nine-cat formats. The Warriors end their week with games against the Rockets and Spurs, two teams that should offer up greater resistance than the Pelicans did.

Working his way back from a right patellar subluxation suffered during the preseason, Raynaud was to be re-evaluated early this week. That did not happen on Monday, but the Kings are listing the second-year center out for Tuesday night. Precious Achiuwa and Dylan Cardwell have been providing depth at center when Domantas Sabonis is not on the floor.

Williams played less than two minutes in the first quarter of Monday’s game before leaving the game with a left hamstring injury. LJ Cryer has moved into the back end of the Warriors’ rotation and could stick there for a bit if Williams misses time.

While Devin Booker scored 32 points, no other Suns starter scored more than seven in Monday’s 122-96 defeat. Brooks had an especially rough night, as he shot 2-of-12 from inside the three-point line. While he managed a few rebounds, his poor shooting was compounded by a lack of assists and defensive stats. Brooks will look to bounce back on Tuesday against the Clippers.