NBA Player News

Jerome returned to the Grizzlies’ lineup after sitting out Thursday’s loss to the Mavericks, and he was productive in his time on the floor. Unfortunately for fantasy managers, he was once again limited to 25 minutes, so his fantasy ceiling may be capped as long as that remains the case. Jerome should be rostered in 14-team leagues, and some 12-team leagues as well, but the upside is limited for injury-management reasons.

Towns’ biggest moments of Wednesday’s contest came in the third quarter, scoring 10 points in the frame while helping overcome a 14-point deficit to tie the game at 76 at the period’s end. He didn’t score in the final frame, but still concluded the game with solid numbers. The veteran center had several nice drives and finishes at the basket while being defended in isolation by Victor Wembanyama. If he can continue to hold his own in that matchup, the Knicks could find themselves in favorable positions.

Anunoby had been quiet on the offensive end up until the fourth quarter of Game 1, when he drilled a couple of huge three-pointers before finishing with 12 points in the final period. The veteran wing didn’t shoot as efficiently as he had over the first three rounds of the playoffs, but still managed to come up big when it mattered most on Wednesday to help New York to a come-from-behind win. Anunoby logged 31 minutes and appears to be recovering from his hamstring injury well. He’ll have a chance to help the Knicks take a 2-0 series lead on Friday.

Brunson had a rough first three quarters of Wednesday’s game, having to overcome multiple lower-body ailments en route to producing 17 points on just 7-of-22 shooting. But he came alive in the fourth quarter and amassed 13 massive points while connecting on several big shots down the stretch to lead New York to a Game 1 win. Despite inefficient shooting, Brunson never stopped attacking. As a result, he’ll have a chance to help his team take a 2-0 series lead on Friday.

Robinson’s return comes after undergoing surgery on his broken pinky finger. He will not have missed any games, despite the injury, and will likely come off the bench to continue playing a key role for a Knicks team that has won 11 straight games. They’ll enter with a significant rest advantage against the Spurs, who are coming off a seven-game series against the Thunder.

Robinson was listed as questionable on Tuesday, so his upgraded status certainly bodes well for his availability. Robinson will be leaned on to slow down Victor Wembanyama with his elite defensive acumen.

Previous reports indicated that Robinson should be available, and he was able to do some individual work on Sunday. However, his official designation for the first game of the Finals is questionable. Don’t expect Mike Brown to dip deep down the depth chart for center minutes if Robinson is out. Karl-Anthony Towns will likely play a massive workload, with Ariel Hukporti giving him a few minutes to breathe when Victor Wembanyama isn’t on the floor.

The 40th overall pick in the 2024 draft, Ighodaro appeared in all 82 games this season, starting 24. The 7-footer’s role expanded when a foot injury sidelined Mark Williams, and that could remain the case in 2026-27 if the Suns were to move on from the former Hornet. However, one would assume that Phoenix would look to upgrade the position if that were the case, and 2025 lottery pick Khaman Maluach would also be in the mix for more playing time. Ighodaro averaged 6.5 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game this season. That production was not enough to make him much more than a deep-league streamer on nights when Williams was out.

After a 2025-26 season in which he won the NBA’s Hustle Award, Diabaté stands to be one of the biggest bargains in basketball next season. His contract for next season is worth just over $2.46 million, a low amount for a player who emerged as the Hornets’ starting center in 2025-26. A starter in 47 of the 73 games he played, Diabaté averaged 7.9 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 0.9 steals and 1.0 blocks in 26.0 minutes. If he holds onto the starting center role, with Ryan Kalkbrenner standing to be the main competition for that role, Diabaté can offer late-round value to managers targeting rebounds and blocks.

Robinson suffered a fractured right pinky finger at some point in the days following the Knicks’ Eastern Conference Finals sweep of Cleveland. Still, the center expects to be available for Game 1 of the NBA Finals. The 7-footer was limited to individual work in Sunday’s practice and had something on the injured finger, although Knicks head coach Mike Brown did not reveal what the protection was. The NBA Finals don’t begin until Wednesday, so there is time for Robinson to get in some 5-on-5 action in practice.

In Game 6, J-Dub returned from a left hamstring injury that he aggravated during Game 2 of the series. Initially injured during the first round, he played just 10 minutes and was ruled out for Saturday’s Game 7 loss to the Spurs. However, before the season-ending defeat, Daigneault made it clear that Williams did not suffer a setback during his brief Game 6 appearance. He did not go through the standard return-to-play protocols, and it was clear that Williams was not his usual self. “He didn’t do a full return to play, obviously,” Daigneault said. “We knew he wouldn’t be a full 100 percent. He, or we, didn’t know what that would look like and what he’d be able to do when he got out in the game. The only way to find out was to get him out there.” He should be good to go when training camp opens in late September, and fantasy managers hope that J-Dub will be more available than he was this season. He appeared in just 33 regular-season games, not making his debut until late November after undergoing offseason wrist surgery.