Coby

White

While he only played 16 minutes on Sunday, White was effective in those moments. The Hornets guard shot 60 percent from the field overall and 3-of-6 from beyond the arc. White’s ability to provide scoring off the bench will be critical in the Play-In Tournament, which the Hornets will begin on Wednesday with a home game against the Heat. If Charlotte wins, they would visit the Orlando/Philadelphia loser on Friday, with the winner earning the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

The Hornets need either a win over the Knicks or a Heat loss to the Hawks to secure the No. 9 seed in the East. With Atlanta, like New York, sitting its entire starting five, the Hornets need to take care of business. White’s availability will undoubtedly help with that.

White is not on the injury report due to the sore groin that sidelined him for Tuesday’s loss to the Celtics, and he’s considered probable for Sunday’s game. The Hornets need a win to hold onto the No. 9 seed and host No. 10 Miami on Wednesday.

White was listed as probable, so his availability isn’t surprising. Expect him to handle his usual workload as a microwave scorer off of Charlotte’s bench.

White is on track to play after sitting out Tuesday’s loss to the Celtics with a sore left groin. His return likely means fewer minutes for Sion James, who logged 19 minutes off the bench in Boston.

White was downgraded to questionable Tuesday afternoon and subsequently ruled out with left groin soreness. The 26-year-old has excelled in a bench role since coming over from the Bulls before the trade deadline. Tre Mann could see a slight boost in minutes and production with White sidelined.

The downgrade in status so close to tip-off is never good news for a player’s availability. If White is sidelined, the Hornets will need to pick up the slack through a committee approach, but there are no actionable fantasy moves.

White is managing some soreness in his groin, but he is expected to suit up against Boston. He’ll continue to be a fantastic option off the bench for Charlotte, though his fantasy impact has been limited by a lack of minutes, partially due to so many blowouts.

Since coming over from the Bulls in a trade before this year’s deadline, White has routinely played 25 minutes or less per game. The 26-year-old point guard has displayed remarkable offensive efficiency with the Hornets as he’s consistently put up points without playing a ton of minutes. Sunday was his ninth game with at least 16 points in his last 12 games, and he did it despite just 20 minutes. White is most useful in points and category leagues because of his lack of production in the other categories.

The Hornets received 46 points from their bench on Thursday, with White’s 19 leading the way. The reserve guard has averaged 18.7 points per game over his last ten appearances, shooting 49.2 percent from the field. Since he brings little to the table in the defensive categories, White holds superior value in points leagues and in category leagues where managers are targeting points and three-pointers.