Yanic

Konan-Niederhäuser

The rookie big injured his foot on Wednesday and was already expected to miss the Clippers’ next two games. However, he’ll undergo surgery that will end his season early. He started to play more minutes after Ivica Zubac was traded to the Pacers, and there is still plenty of upside for the future. Over his final three games, he averaged 8.0 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.3 blocks in just 16.5 minutes per game. A foot injury is worrisome for a big, but if he’s able to fully recover ahead of next season, he could compete for the starting center job.

Limited to six points in Monday’s win over the Warriors, Lopez nearly tripled his output in Wednesday’s blowout of the Pacers. The veteran center played 21 minutes, with the playing time taking a slight hit with the game being a blowout. At a minimum, the Clippers won’t have backup center Yanic Konan-Niederhäuser (foot) for their next two games, so that may result in a slight increase in playing time for Lopez. However, given how his workload has been managed, that isn’t guaranteed.

Konan-Niederhäuser (foot) injured his right foot during the first half of Wednesday’s win over the Pacers. More will be learned about the severity of the injury on Thursday, and the rookie has already been ruled out for games in San Antonio (Friday) and Memphis (Saturday). If Konan-Niederhäuser has to miss time, Isaiah Jackson would slide into the backup center role. He played 18 minutes against the Pacers, finishing with 10 points, four rebounds, two assists and three blocked shots.

Konan-Niederhäuser injured his right foot when he landed awkwardly after attempting to block an Aaron Nesmith layup attempt during the first half of Wednesday’s game. While the rookie center required assistance getting back to the locker room, he was able to put some weight on his right foot. Isaiah Jackson has entered the rotation and will likely slide into the backup center role if Konan-Niederhäuser misses time.

Brook Lopez (six points, four rebounds and two assists in 24 minutes) remains the Clippers’ starting center, but Konan-Niederhäuser has earned more playing time recently. On Monday, the rookie played 21 minutes and finished with an excellent stat line. Konan-Niederhäuser became the ninth Clippers rookie in franchise history to have multiple games of at least four blocked shots. Also, he became the second reserve in the last 30 years to record at least 11 points, nine rebounds, four blocks and two steals in a game, joining Montrezl Harrell. Rostered in one percent of Yahoo! leagues, Konan-Niederhäuser has provided 11th-round value over the past two weeks, according to Basketball Monster.

The Clippers don’t play again until Thursday, so there is nothing to gain from adding Konan-Niederhäuser following his effort against the Magic. That said, the rookie 7-footer showed off the athleticism and defensive chops that prompted the Clippers to select him in the first round of last June’s draft. Konan-Niederhäuser’s four blocks were a season-high, and the eight boards were two shy of his previous high. Interestingly, he logged 26 minutes while starting center Brook Lopez (10/4/1/1 with one three-pointer) played 22. That won’t affect fantasy basketball immediately due to the Clippers’ poor Week 18 schedule, but it is something to watch during Thursday’s game against the Timberwolves.

Konan-Niederhäuser enjoyed one of his best games of the season, finishing one point shy of his season-high and doing a good job on the glass. While Brook Lopez (five points, two rebounds, two assists, two blocks and one three-pointer in 26 minutes) is locked in as the starting center, Ivica Zubac’s exit means that there will be more opportunities for Konan-Niederhäuser. He isn’t a must-roster player, but keep an eye on YKN, especially if the Clippers fall out of the play-in spots.

Due to an illness, Konan-Niederhäuser had to exit Friday’s win over the Kings prematurely. While the rookie’s exit did not affect his fantasy value, it did factor into Brook Lopez logging a season-high 36 minutes. Look for Lopez’s playing time to decrease on Sunday.

With Ivica Zubac away from the team to attend the birth of his child, Lopez moves into the starting lineup. There will also be rotation minutes for rookie Yanc Konan-Niederhäuser, but he isn’t worth streaming in this spot.

Konan Niederhauser added another nice stat line in what’s been a solid rookie season thus far for him in limited action. He went perfect from the floor and had several highlight-worthy finishes at the rim throughout the game to tie a career-high in points. The rookie center also erased shots on the defensive end and showed off his athleticism. He’s currently the third center in the Clippers’ rotation, so it’s unlikely he’ll have fantasy value aside from nights when one of Ivica Zubac or Brook Lopez is sidelined. Nonetheless, he had a productive night in his 23 minutes.