NBA Player News

Smith has been unavailable for the first three games of this series. However, his absence did not have an impact, as he is not in the Bucks’ rotation when healthy.

Pelicans coach Willie Green is starting to give Queen more minutes, and good things are happening. Over the last three games, he is averaging 12 points, 6.7 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 2.3 steals per game. His shooting has been inefficient, and he turns the ball over, but there is a lot to like from Queen early on in his career. It is going to be difficult to keep him in a reserve role if he keeps playing this well.

Suiting up for the first time this season, Fox had no issues getting his shot to fall. He scored 15 points in the second quarter alone and led the Spurs in scoring to help them move to 7-2. Head coach Mitch Johnson said Fox wouldn’t have a minutes restriction, and he ended up logging 30 minutes. That should increase as he logs more games, and they don’t have a back-to-back until December, which should help Fox be available for the rest of the month.

With De’Aaron Fox (hamstring) available for the first time this season, Castle didn’t take the expected backseat. He accounted for nearly half of the Spurs’ assists, while Fox only had three dimes. Castle also played 35 minutes. If the plan is to take advantage of Fox’s scoring ability and keep him fresh by allowing Castle to dominate the ball, then both guards can thrive in fantasy hoops. It’s only one game, but it seems like Castle isn’t going to take a hit in production.

Though he was elite to start the season, Wemby’s last few games have been rough. Over the last four games, he has shot just 39.7 percent from the floor while averaging 17 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.0 steal and 2.5 blocks per game. Of course, for most players, those are strong numbers. But it’s the inefficiency that has torn down his recent production; Wemby is also averaging five turnovers during this four-game stretch. He’ll look to get back on track in Chicago on Monday.

Most rookie point guards struggle early on, and while Fears hasn’t been flawless, he’s had success quickly. He is averaging 13.8 points, 2.9 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.0 three-pointer with only 2.1 turnovers in 25.9 minutes per game while shooting 44.2 percent from the floor. Those aren’t great numbers, but they’re impressive for a starting point guard on a team that isn’t winning, especially one that’s only 19 years old. Brighter days are ahead for Fears.

Murphy carried the offense for New Orleans in this game and ended up setting a new season-high for points, which matched his career-high. Murphy has finished with exactly 41 points three times in his career, but it wasn’t enough for them to get a win on Saturday. Still, it has been a slow start for Murphy, so this type of performance was encouraging. He’ll look to stay hot in Phoenix on Monday.

The rookie returned to the rotation with the Hawks playing without five key pieces, and he delivered energy off the bench, which resulted in production in the box score. Both Newell and Vit Krejci scored 17 points off the bench and joined all five starters in scoring in double figures. This was an excellent performance for both players, especially considering neither was in the rotation on Friday night. Both are capable, but they won’t be part of the rotation on most nights, making them valuable only in dynasty leagues.

The Hawks played this game without their top four scorers, which meant that more offensive responsibility fell to Daniels. While he didn’t provide his typical dose of steals, he was able to turn in his best offensive performance of the season and set a new career-high for assists. Though he won’t get this many assists often, he has averaged seven assists per game since Trae Young (knee) went down. With Young still weeks away from a return, Daniels will continue to play a larger role on offense, though he won’t be a reliable scoring option.

Gueye moved into the starting lineup in place of Jalen Johnson (quad), and he took advantage of the opportunity. This was his second start of the year, and he has made a big impact both times. Gueye was one of seven players to score in double figures for the Hawks in what was a dominant win for a shorthanded squad. Unfortunately, there are too many mouths to feed in Atlanta for Gueye to play this much consistently, but he’s worth streaming when he gets the chance to start, and he’s a valuable piece in dynasty leagues.

Vanderbilt hasn’t been much of a producer in the box score this season, but he was able to have a productive night off the bench in this game. He had his first double-double of the season and set a new season-high for rebounds. It was an excellent performance for him, but this isn’t going to happen often. He averaged 8.5 points, 10 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.0 steals in his two starts in October, and the only time he’ll be worth considering as a streamer is when he’s starting.