NBA Player News

Leonard is back after a one-game absence. His return means that Jordan Miller will come off the bench after making a spot start the last time out.

Injuries and inconsistent play when healthy conspired to make Saraf an afterthought during his rookie campaign. And with the Nets using their lottery pick to select Louisville guard Mikel Brown Jr., having a good summer is essential for Saraf as he looks to carve out a consistent role for himself. Coming off the bench in Monday’s California Classic finale, the 26th overall pick in the 2025 draft shot the ball well and led the Nets in assists. Given Brooklyn’s youth on the perimeter, Saraf is worth keeping an eye on this summer.

During his junior and senior seasons at UCLA, Bilodeau averaged 1.6 three-pointers per game while making 43.8 percent of his attempts. So, it’s not like his ability to hit perimeter shots is a major surprise. However, the rookie forward was 6-of-9 in Monday’s 100-79 defeat, joining four other Nets in double figures. Bilodeau is on a two-way contract and the Nets acquired Julius Randle, so achieving fantasy relevance as a rookie will be challenging. But his effort on Monday should not be overlooked, especially considering how much the Nets relied on two-way players late last season.

After sitting out the Nets’ first two games at the California Classic, Brown made his summer debut on Monday. The lottery pick out of Louisville did not shoot the ball particularly well, but he dished out four assists and logged 19 minutes without issue. It remains to be seen how much Brown will play in Las Vegas, as he’s coming off a back injury that cost him 14 games last season. However, Monday’s effort was encouraging, even with the shooting struggles.

Dëmin played well on both Saturday and Monday as the Nets capped their California Classic with a 100-79 victory over the Warriors. As was the case for most of his rookie campaign, the 6-foot-9 guard spent more time finishing than playmaking, and he was excellent. While a foot injury ended his season in early March, Dëmin was the most promising of the five players the Nets selected in the first round of last summer’s draft. Thus far, his play this summer has shown that his foot is no longer an issue, and he’s ready to take another step forward in Year Two.

The combination of his two-way contract and the Spurs being loaded on the perimeter makes it challenging for Gillespie to achieve fantasy relevance during his rookie season. However, he shot the ball quite well on Monday, making five of his nine three-point attempts. Gillespie also dished out six assists while committing two turnovers in what was an excellent conclusion to his California Classic. He’ll look to do more of the same in Las Vegas at the end of the week.

A starter in both games he played at the California Classic, Reed recorded a double-double in Monday’s 88-84 defeat. And with fellow first-round pick Jayden Quaintance yet to play after revealing during his introductory press conference that he may need another procedure on his knee, the rookie out of UConn may be better equipped to compete for rotation minutes immediately. The Spurs won’t need Reed to be a prolific scorer, but his rebounding and defensive ability should give him an opportunity to contribute as a rookie.

With first-round pick Cameron Carr (five points, one rebound, one assist, one steal and one block) playing just 13 minutes in the Lakers’ final game of the California Classic, Mañon was the team’s best scoring option on Monday. And the two-way contract wing made the most of his opportunity, shooting 70 percent from the field and recording a complete stat line. Given his contract status, Mañon is unlikely to get the opportunities needed to make an impact in fantasy basketball next season. However, his first step is to surpass the nine NBA appearances he made during his rookie season.

After attempting six shots in his first summer appearance with the Thunder, Stirtz was more aggressive on Monday. Unfortunately, he shot 1-of-7 from beyond the arc in a rather forgettable effort. His chances of offering any fantasy value next season depend on injuries to Thunder guards ahead of him in the rotation. If Nikola Topić continues to struggle with health issues, that may be where Stirtz’s minutes come from during his rookie campaign.

Mara didn’t have an efficient offensive game, shooting 33.3 percent from the field and committing five turnovers. However, he was active on the boards and did an excellent job of blocking shots. During the first half, the Hawks appeared hesitant to attack the basket, with Mara altering a few shots he failed to block. With Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein and Jaylin Williams all in the Thunder frontcourt rotation, Mara’s role is likely to be limited next season. However, he’ll be a valuable player to roster in dynasty leagues, especially as Oklahoma City’s roster gets more expensive.

After spending last season with the Thunder on a two-way contract, Sandfort was waived just before the start of the Utah Classic. Oklahoma City has since filled all three of its two-way slots, but Sandfort can certainly use this time to audition for the 29 other teams. He shot the ball extremely well on Monday, going 4-of-6 from deep, rebounding from a 4-of-12 showing in Saturday’s blowout loss to the Grizzlies.