NBA Player News

Markkanen suffered ankle and hip injuries during Wednesday’s practice, casting some doubt on his availability for Thursday’s game. While John Konchar is the most likely choice to start if Markkanen has to miss time, Brice Sensabaugh offers a much higher fantasy ceiling, even if he comes off the bench.

Allen has been dealing with right patellar tendinopathy, but he attended Thursday’s shootaround and said that he expects to play. In three matchups with the 76ers last season, Allen averaged 14.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.3 “stocks.”

Dybantsa will miss a second straight game due to a sprained left ankle, but the Wizards play the second leg of a back-to-back set on Saturday against the Bulls, which will give the rookie a quick turnaround to make his regular-season debut. Dybantsa could replace Bilal Coulibaly or Kyshawn George in the starting five when he finally gets back on the court.

Given Darius Acuff Jr.'s struggles on Wednesday, Murray’s night may avoid some scrutiny. However, he also struggled, missing his first seven attempts and not scoring until 9:08 was left in the fourth quarter. And Murray didn’t do much in the other categories either, which is a concern for fantasy managers. He’ll look to bounce back on Friday when the Kings host Portland.

Most fantasy managers and basketball fans expect rookie point guards to be inefficient. However, Acuff’s performance against the Clippers was rough. He missed all seven three-point attempts, shot 5-of-24 from the field, and finished with more turnovers (four) than assists (three). Acuff’s upside is undeniable, but he’ll have games like Wednesday.

Sabonis didn’t miss a shot on Wednesday and finished two assists shy of a triple-double. However, it’s fair to ask why he didn’t get more shots, especially when Darius Acuff Jr. and Keegan Murray combined to shoot 6-of-32 from the field. Playing alongside a rookie point guard can be challenging for a veteran post player like Sabonis, who can also facilitate offense. However, Wednesday’s outing showed he can offer excellent fantasy value on nights with low shot attempts.

After injuries limited him to 39 games in his first full season with the Kings, LaVine looked completely healthy on Wednesday. Without him and fellow veteran Domantas Sabonis, the Kings would have fared worse, but they still lost the opener 121-96. As long as he stays healthy, LaVine should return to being a reliable fantasy asset. The question is whether a good first half of the season would convince a contending team to acquire him before the February trade deadline.

In a matchup of lottery picks, Wagler had a much better night than Sacramento’s Darius Acuff Jr. The former Illinois standout played 29 minutes off the bench, sharing the court with Darius Garland and taking a few short stints as the lone playmaker. Wagler was efficient, and while you shouldn’t overreact to one game, it wouldn’t hurt to add him now if he’s on the waiver wire in deep leagues.

Despite coming off the bench, Lopez played 27 minutes on Wednesday due to starting center Isaiah Jackson getting into foul trouble. The veteran 7-footer clearly still has something left in the tank, as he recorded a complete stat line that included a double-double. Jackson still hasn’t established himself as a center you can fully trust in fantasy basketball, which is a good reason to roster Lopez in deep leagues.

Given the Clippers’ lack of proven scorers, Hachimura is in a position to offer more value than he did as a Laker. However, you have to make shots, and he didn’t do that consistently enough on Wednesday. Hachimura shot 1-of-6 from inside the arc, which hurt his field-goal percentage. He did put up decent numbers in rebounds, steals and blocked shots, so Wednesday wasn’t a total loss for those rostering Hachimura.

Jackson’s starting nod was expected to raise his fantasy ceiling, and he was productive Wednesday night. However, the Clippers’ center played just 15 minutes because of foul trouble. Backup Brook Lopez played 27 minutes, and that may not have happened if Jackson were able to stay on the court. Jackson is worth a look in 12-team leagues if he’s on the waiver wire, even with the foul trouble against Sacramento.