NBA Player News

Making his first start as an NBA player, Bufkin started well on Tuesday. He shot 2-of-4 from the field in the first quarter and dished out an assist. Unfortunately, the former first-round pick’s production tailed off, an unsurprising development, given Bufkin’s limited in-game experience. There’s no need to roster him in redraft leagues, but managers competing in deeper dynasty leagues can afford to stash Bufkin.

The Suns sat their expected starters on Wednesday, with Dunn among those tabbed to fill the resulting voids. Not known much for his offense during his first two seasons, Dunn didn’t miss a shot from the field or the foul line in his 23 minutes. Once the regular season begins, however, he’s unlikely to provide reliable value in most fantasy leagues. There may be times when Dunn is worth streaming due to someone sitting out with an injury.

Jalen Duren’s first game since getting his new contract was a loud one. He was aggressive in scoring the ball and looked like he was in regular season form. With Tobias Harris leaving, Jalen Duren will need to be a more consistent scorer this season if the Pistons are going to win as much as they want to.

Peat, the 30th overall pick in June’s draft, logged 16 minutes off the bench in San Antonio. Given Phoenix’s current crop of forwards, rotation minutes may be challenging to come by early in the season. However, this group has struggled with injuries in recent seasons, which may open the door for Peat. He played well against the Spurs, but the rookie should only be rostered in dynasty leagues right now.

Poulakidas started to play more when the Mavericks were trying to lose down the stretch of last season. The Yale sharpshooter showed some promise last season and has continued to look good shooting the ball here. He likely won’t be an impact player this season, but considering how this roster lacks some shooting outside of Kyrie, its possible he gets a role off the bench at some point.

Lawal led the combine at the vertical jump test. He’s an elite athlete who can defend and really rebound the ball. It is important to note that he picked up six fouls in this game, so it wasn’t all amazing. In dynasty leagues, he’s worth holding if you have an ability to stash him because teams will bet on his athletic tools until he proves he can’t play in the NBA. For redraft leagues, he will be a non-factor this year barring multiple injuries.

The one consistent starter for the Pelicans throughout the pre-season was Yves Missi. Jamahl Mosley is a defensive minded coach, and Missi is the best rim protector on the team. Missi’s role as a starter seems secure at this point despite having Derik Queen off the bench. He should be a consistent rebound and block streamer during the regular season.

Jeremiah Fears looks to grow upon what he did in his rookie season with the Pelicans. Notably, he had five assists to two turnovers which is an encouraging sign. If he hadn’t reclassified when he was in high school, he would be a rookie this season. Fears could’ve easily been in the same tier as the top guards from this past draft. He should be a consistent producer sooner rather than later.

Wemby may have missed all three of his three-point attempts, but the final stat line was what fantasy managers have come to expect. While a few managers may take Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with pick 1.1, many consider it a two-horse race. If it isn’t Wembanyama going first overall, then it will be Denver’s Nikola Jokić.

With the Suns sitting their projected starters, they struggled to find an answer for Castle on defense. He attempted only five field-goal shots, but the third-year guard’s ability to apply pressure off the dribble earned him 15 free-throw attempts. Turnovers and field-goal percentage limited Castle’s value in nine-cat formats last season, making him a superior option for those competing in eight-cat formats or points leagues.

With Julian Champagnie getting the night off, Harper remained in the starting five despite De’Aaron Fox making his first appearance of the preseason. Whether he starts or comes off the bench, Harper has a high fantasy ceiling heading into his second NBA season. The top-100 ADP is reasonable, as Harper will play plenty for the reigning Western Conference champions. With the Spurs playing their final preseason game on Friday, we should get a more definitive answer on Mitch Johnson’s starting lineup then.