Jason

Thompson

Thompson was expected to play on Monday, but was a late scratch with his sprained ankle. There’s no telling how effective he’ll be, but with five straight double-doubles, he looks like a safe play for fantasy owners tonight. And according to a tweet from James Ham, Thompson will start for the Kings.

He also hit all six of his shots, and while he appeared to briefly tweak his ankle, stayed in the game and looked great. Get him in your back in your lineup if he’s not there already.

His explosion still isn’t where it should be, but as you can see he’s back to being a productive fantasy play. We’re not 100 percent sure he won’t deal with the ankle problem again, but he should be in most lineups going forward.

“I can’t predict the future, but for now it’s clear they want me to stay here,” Thompson said. He averaged 10 points and eight rebounds in 47 starts this season, decent numbers that would have been better if J.J. Hickson and Chuck Hayes hadn’t been around to muddy the waters.

Hickson was spotted on crutches after Thursday’s game and the injury won’t help the Kings’ efforts to trade their underperforming PF. Jason Thompson and Chuck Hayes will step into larger roles in Hickson’s absence.

Thompson is prone to struggling when the Kings do, which was the case tonight against the Clippers’ athletic frontcourt. He’s still worth a look if you need a big man, but until he cleans up nights like these he won’t be counted on as a full-time fantasy asset.

It’s not too surprising that Thompson struggled against the Lakers’ trees, but that’s not paying the bills for fantasy owners right now. Thompson will likely get his act together at some point because Keith Smart likes his current configuration, but owners should feel free to drop him until he picks it back up.

Thompson had four points and three rebounds in 17 minutes, while Greene finished with four points and one rebound in 17 minutes. As this box score suggests, neither guy is a reliable fantasy option.

Thompson is hot, racking up double-doubles in four straight games, averaging 14 points and 12 boards over his last five, despite a game where he had just two points and nine rebounds. The minutes are there and he could roll going forward, when the Kings play 4-5-4 games per week over the next three. If you need a big man down the stretch, Thompson is hot and should be grabbed in most leagues.

He’s clearly not healthy, but props to him for powering through the injury. The Kings still play three times this week, meaning there’s plenty of time for JT to bounce back, but he could also take a step in the other direction if his ankle is bothering him that much. Watch for an update to his status on Wednesday.