NBA Player News

Gafford will be back after sitting out the second night of the Mavericks’ back-to-back on Saturday. He’ll likely split the center minutes with Dereck Lively II, with Lively starting. Kai Jones, who has been playing plenty of minutes at center, has been sent down to the G League with both Gafford and Lively available.

While Williams did not shoot the ball well on Saturday, fantasy managers will be pleased with the rebounds, assists and steals. His four pilfers were a season-high; Williams entered Saturday with seven steals across six appearances. J-Dub is providing third-round value in eight- and nine-cat formats, not far removed from his Yahoo! ADP (26). Unfortunately, the Thunder play just twice in Week 9, a Thursday/Friday back-to-back against the Clippers and Timberwolves.

Victor Wembanyama wasn’t the only post player making their return to action on Saturday. Hartenstein was back in the Thunder lineup after missing six games with a strained right calf, and his minutes were restricted. The 7-footer played 20 minutes and was productive, recording a complete stat line. Hartenstein doesn’t need a high usage to provide reliable fantasy value, but he is more “high floor” than “high ceiling.” Cason Wallace moved to the bench on Saturday, finishing with seven points, three rebounds, one assist, two steals and one three-pointer in 27 minutes.

Holmgren didn’t have the best night shooting the basketball, but the foul line helped boost the final point total. Having to deal with Victor Wembanyama for portions of Saturday’s game didn’t help, but there’s no need for fantasy managers to have any concern about Holmgren. He’s still providing excellent value in eight- and nine-cat formats, proving to be slightly more valuable in the latter. The Thunder play twice in Week 9, starting with the Clippers on Thursday.

While the Spurs made life difficult for Gilgeous-Alexander in some ways, he still extended his streak of games with at least 20 points to 97. The reigning MVP shot 1-of-7 from beyond the arc, and he committed a season-high five turnovers. Entering Saturday, SGA had just two games this season with at least four turnovers. Unfortunately for fantasy managers, the Thunder don’t have a good Week 9 schedule. They play twice, with a back-to-back on Thursday/Friday against the Clippers and Timberwolves.

Vassell led the way for the Spurs in what was a balanced scoring effort, with four players scoring at least 22 points in Saturday’s victory. And he needed the slump-buster, having totaled 13 points on 3-of-15 shooting in the Spurs’ prior two games. Vassell’s performance on Saturday was especially encouraging because it came with Victor Wembanyama available, even if the big man’s minutes were limited. For the season, Vassell is closing in on top-75 value in nine-cat formats, exceeding his Yahoo! ADP (97).

The reigning Rookie of the Year took a beating on Saturday, finishing with both a bloody lip and a bloody nose, and he was also responsible for six turnovers. However, Castle’s turnover issues were limited mainly to the first quarter, as he and the other Spurs appeared to be pressing. Victor Wembanyama subbing in to begin the second quarter certainly helped calm some nerves. Castle has scored at least 20 points in seven games this season, and his scoring average is nearly four points higher than his rookie year number (14.7). Next up for Castle and the Spurs are the Knicks in Tuesday’s NBA Cup final, which will not count toward team records or statistics.

Fox was one of four Spurs to score either 22 or 23 points on Saturday, with the team rebounding from a brutal 0-of-11 start from three to hand Oklahoma City its second loss of the season. Fox has scored at least 20 points in 14 of the 17 games he’s appeared in this season, and he’s providing top-25 value in eight-cat formats. After Tuesday’s NBA Cup final against the Knicks, Fox and the Spurs will play three games over the final four days of Week 9. That’s good news for fantasy managers.

Wembanyama made his long-awaited return to the court on Saturday, but fans and fantasy managers had to wait a little longer than they expected. The Spurs did not play him at all in the first quarter, and Wemby logged just seven minutes in the second quarter. The goal was to ensure that Wembanyama’s minutes restriction would not be an issue in the fourth quarter, and the approach worked. He only needed 21 minutes to record an excellent stat line, showing why he’s considered one of the NBA’s premier talents. Tuesday’s NBA Cup final against the Knicks won’t count towards stats or fantasy basketball, but the Spurs will have three other games in Week 9.

Yang was held out of Thursday’s loss to the Pelicans with a facial contusion, joining Donovan Clingan and Robert Williams III on the sidelines. Whether the rookie is in Portland’s rotation on Sunday depends on the availability of Clingan and Williams, who are also questionable. If those two can play, Hansen will likely be out of the rotation entirely.

Portland was without its top three centers on Thursday, including Williams. He was initially questionable for that game before being ruled out, and that could happen again on Sunday. Williams’ fantasy value, if available, depends on the status of starting center Donovan Clingan, who has missed the last three games. If Clingan plays, Williams will be locked into the backup center role, which limits his fantasy ceiling.