NBA Player News

After playing seven minutes in Monday’s loss to the Knicks, the first overall pick in the 2024 draft did not play at all on Wednesday. Jonathan Kuminga has seemingly absorbed the minutes that once went to Risacher. Logging 30 minutes, Kuminga finished with 24 points (11-of-20 FGs, 0-of-1 FTs), six rebounds, three assists and two three-pointers. An afterthought in fantasy basketball since the All-Star break, it’s fair to wonder about Risacher’s future in Atlanta, especially if he racks up more DNP-CDs during the postseason.

After shooting 2-of-15 from the field in his summer league debut, Evans had an even tougher night on Monday. The rookie wing missed all eight of his shots from the field, only scoring multiple points due to a made free throw on a two-shot foul (which counts for two points in summer league). Most important for Evans and the Timberwolves is that the slump doesn’t undermine his aggressiveness on offense; he can’t stop shooting, but he also has to avoid pressing too much. It hasn’t looked good for Evans so far, but “it’s only summer league.”

Currently on a two-way contract, Zikarsky is looking to further solidify his status in the NBA after appearing in just five games as a rookie. The 6-foot-8 forward has started all three games in Las Vegas, struggling in the first two before rebounding nicely on Monday. The Timberwolves have been without Joan Beringer for each of the last two, with his absence putting a little more on Zikarsky’s plate, even though they don’t play the same position. While he’s unlikely to get the opportunities needed to impact redraft leagues, Zikarsky is worth stashing in deeper dynasty leagues following Minnesota’s trade of Julius Randle and Naz Reid.

Signed to a two-way contract in March, Youngblood’s place on the Trail Blazers’ roster is relatively secure. He was excellent on Monday, leading six Portland players in double figures with 20 points and shooting 3-of-7 from beyond the arc. Unfortunately for Youngblood, Portland’s perimeter depth will make it challenging for him to get the opportunities needed to move from his two-way deal to a standard contract. He may be worth stashing in deep dynasty leagues, but that’s it.

Back in action after sitting out Sunday’s game against the Magic with an illness, Hansen had his best game of this year’s summer league. The second-year center missed just one shot from the field and did a good job of facilitating offense in the 111-84 victory. Hansen did not record any defensive stats, but the increased comfort on the offensive end was encouraging. The question now is whether the Trail Blazers feel that Hansen has shown them enough to merit being shut down for the rest of the summer. If anything, he’ll be best served by getting live reps against legitimate NBA bigs, which is unlikely to happen often in Portland’s remaining summer league games.

Limited to seven points in Sunday’s loss to the Spurs, Marković more than doubled that output on Monday. The rookie forward, who remained overseas last season after being selected with the 47th overall pick, shot 4-of-7 from beyond the arc against the Suns. Overall, Marković has looked more comfortable than fellow rookie Nate Ament (eight points, three rebounds, one assist, one block and two three-pointers vs. Phoenix), which can be owed to the former’s prior professional experience. The question when training camp opens in September is whether there will be room in the Bucks’ frontcourt rotation for both Marković and Ament.

Playing against college teammate Koa Peat for the first time as pros, Burries recorded his second 20-point game in as many nights. The former Arizona guard was efficient as a scorer and playmaker, committing just one turnover. If there was an issue for Burries, it was that he went 3-of-7 from the foul line, but that was not an issue for him at the college level. His play in Las Vegas has been encouraging for both the Bucks and fantasy managers considering Burries in their drafts. Milwaukee’s perimeter logjam may make it challenging for Burries to log heavy minutes as a rookie, but getting into the rotation is certainly a reasonable expectation.

Re-signed to a two-way contract earlier in July, Brea showed off the perimeter shooting ability that made him a second-round pick in the 2025 draft. He shot 6-of-11 from beyond the arc on Monday, rebounding from a poor showing on Sunday, when Brea was 1-of-11 from the field overall and 0-of-7 from three. Brea appeared in just 12 NBA games as a rookie, with most of his reps coming in the G League. He’ll look to earn a longer NBA look when the Suns open training camp in the fall.

Peat has played well in all three of Phoenix’s games in Las Vegas, with Monday’s game being the most productive in points. The rookie forward recorded just one assist, but the Suns seemed to have no problem with him bringing the ball up the floor and facilitating. With Devin Booker, Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks and Miles Bridges on the roster, Peat is unlikely to have the ball in his hands much as a rookie. However, he’s shown the ability to influence play despite offering little as a perimeter shooter.

Maluach has recorded a double-double in each of Phoenix’s first three games in Las Vegas, with Monday’s being the best of the bunch. Not only did he shoot 50 percent from the field and grab 10 rebounds, but the second-year center also blocked four shots. With the Suns re-signing Mark Williams, one would assume that he’ll be the starter. However, Maluach may be given every opportunity to compete with Oso Ighodaro for the backup role, especially when considering how well he’s played this week. A must-roster player in dynasty leagues, Maluach would have increased value as a backup in redraft leagues given Williams’ injury history.

Even with the signing of Tim Hardaway Jr., the Heat need more wing scoring to supplement a roster now headlined by Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo. As a result, Thompson is said to be a player of interest to the franchise, despite his struggles over two seasons in Dallas. He is still one of the best perimeter shooters in NBA history and can provide the spacing needed to create cleaner driving lanes for players like Antetokounmpo and Adebayo. It was also noted that the Heat’s interest is not contingent on them signing LeBron James in free agency. However, to make something happen, Thompson would need to be bought out of the final year of his current contract, which is worth $17.5 million.