NBA Player News

This isn’t a surprising update, but the confidence from Carlisle to announce this nearly three months before the start of the regular season is a good thing to see. Mathurin averaged 16.7 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 49 starts last season, and with Tyrese Haliburton (Achilles) expected to miss all of next season, Mathurin will certainly be one of the leading scorers for Indiana, which bodes well for his fantasy upside.

Tillman won’t be available, but he has played sparingly this season. His few minutes per game will be divided between Neemias Queta, Luka Garza and Chris Boucher, with Queta the only one playing enough to warrant a roster spot.

Dosunmu practiced on Thursday after Chicago’s last two games, which is a positive sign for his chances of playing against Milwaukee. If he does return, Dalen Terry and Jevon Carter will be pushed back out of the rotation after playing small roles over the past two games.

The Suns could be without Grayson Allen on Thursday, but they do appear likely to get Jalen Green (hamstring) back in the lineup. Allen had been starting in place of Green, so the Suns could make an easy one-for-one swap in the starting rotation if Allen is indeed out.

Adebayo left Wednesday’s game after only eight minutes with what was referred to as a foot injury. He had an MRI today, and the results appear to be great news for the Heat. A big toe sprain could linger, and the Heat are likely to be cautious with their big man this early in the season, but it’s a relief for the team that Adebayo has avoided a major injury. Kel’el Ware figures to pick up big minutes on Friday and would be worth an add in fantasy leagues as long as Adebayo is out.

The 40-year-old and not appeared in a game so far this season as he battles sciatica. Progressing to contact drills is certainly a good sign, and the team says he’ll be reevaluated in approximately 1-2 weeks. Given his age and the desire to have him healthy for the postseason, it seems fair to assume that the team may wait until another two weeks for that evaluation and to update his timeline. Luca Doncic and Austin Reaves will continue to carry the load for the Lakers in the meantime.

White has been sidelined since August with a strained calf but appears to be inching closer to a return. Donovan said the 25-year-old would do on-court work with player development staff after practice on Thursday, and then the team would evaluate where he is in his recovery timeline.

The 25-year-old did not play on Tuesday against the 76ers while nursing a quad injury, but he does seem to be on track to return on Thursday. He’s averaged 16.2 points, 3.2 assists, and 3.0 rebounds per game off the Bulls’ bench, so his return would certainly be a welcome one.

Walsh came into November as a forgotten man in Boston’s rotation, playing just four total minutes in October. However, he played 19 minutes against the Rockets on Saturday and then was up to 24 minutes on Wednesday. These were not garbage-time minutes either, as Walsh checked into the game in the first quarter. He was a plus-27 on the night and received praise from head coach Joe Mazzulla after the game, so it’s possible that Walsh could pick up extra minutes at the expense of Hugo Gonzalez and Baylor Scheierman going forward.

For the first time this season, Ayton has recorded double-doubles in consecutive games. Faced with the challenging task of defending Victor Wembanyama, the Lakers center held his own and provided his team with needed production in the frontcourt. Thus far, Ayton has been a top-100 player in eight- and nine-cat formats, proving to be slightly more valuable in the former. There remains the question of what his role will look like once LeBron James is available to play, but Ayton is in a good spot right now.