Xavier

Henry

It’s not necessarily a sign that Eric Gordon (knee) is closer to a return. Henry hasn’t topped 14 minutes in any of the last four games anyway.

Henry played just one game for the Energy before getting recalled. He had 13 points and two steals on Sunday night against the Sioux Falls Skyforce. Henry will resume his role as the No. 4/5 guard for the Hornets.

Ariza had been playing well of late but it sounds like he’ll miss one due to feeling under the weather. Al-Farouq Aminu and Xavier Henry should see a huge increase in minutes with Ariza sidelined.

Aminu and Xavier Henry will soak up the large number of minutes Ariza plays, with Aminu being the favorite as a spot-starter.

Trevor Ariza (illness) was inactive and this is likely Henry’s best line of the year. If Ariza misses anymore time, we’ll still probably lean toward recommending Al-Farouq Aminu (six points, 3-of-12 FGs, eight rebounds, three assists) as the spot-play.

Xavier Henry (12 points), Marco Belinelli (15 points), and Jason Smith (17 points, eight rebounds) all stepped up in Ariza’s absence, but there is no clear beneficiary if Ariza is going to miss time. Al-Farouq Aminu (six points) could also clutter things up with regards to Ariza’s bucket of minutes.

The good news is that he played 30 minutes, but the bad news is that Xavier Henry hit 6-of-14 shots for 13 points, three rebounds, two assists and a steal in 26 minutes tonight, signaling a possible timeshare coming. The Hornets play five games next week, and Belinelli still looks like a decent option if your league counts games played, as Bello simply couldn’t get it going tonight. He had 20 points and four 3-pointers in his previous game, so expect him to bounce back soon.

He’s had a quiet season up until now and benefitted from the loss of both Jarrett Jack, who is done for the season, and Eric Gordon, who is day-to-day with a sore back. Just keep an eye on him in case he stays hot through the weekend.

This comes as somewhat of a surprise, as Ariza was able to play through his ankle injury on Monday. Al-Farouq Aminu and Xavier Henry should see increased run in his absence, but neither is a strong spot-start option in standard-sized leagues.

Henry is currently rehabbing from a serious ankle sprain and is expected to miss another 10-14 days. When he returns, he’ll be battling for minutes with Trevor Ariza and Al-Farouq Aminu.