Scott

Machado

He was with the Lakers for the preseason, and he’s coming off G League Player of the Week honors. This year in the G League, Machado averaged 16.4 points, 8.0 dimes, 1.1 steals and 1.2 treys. He could get minutes when the Lakers are out of the playoff chase, which will almost certainly happen this week.

Machado has not played in the NBA since he had a cup of coffee with the Rockets back in the 2012-13 season. He’ll likely spend this season in the G-League and can be ignored in all fantasy formats.

Houston doesn’t have much depth at the point behind Jeremy Lin and Machado would be competing with Toney Douglas and Shaun Livingston for the backup duties. Machado led the NCAA in assists last year and added 13.6 points per game in his senior year at Iona. He’s not on the radar in fantasy leagues and will likely need an injury to have value.

Machado gave an interesting quote following his workout. “They got some players that are banged up, hurt or some players that are retiring or old.” The Iona product also expressed optimism about potentially joining the club, and there’s no question the Knicks will be in the market for a point guard. “It would be a wonderful feeling to be able to stay home,” he said. Machado has worked out for a handful of teams and currently projects as a second-round pick.

Machado averaged 9.9 assists vs. 3.3 turnovers for Iona last season, adding 13.6 points per game on solid shooting averages (49.5 percent FGs, 40.4 percent 3-pointers). He could develop into a worthwhile backup PG for any of the teams mentioned, and will likely get a few invites to Summer League.

Machado recently interviewed with the Pistons at a predraft event held by the Nets, and he’s scheduled to workout for Detroit in the “coming weeks.” Projected as as second-round selection, the Pistons hold the No. 39 and No. 44 picks.

The Rockets only have Toney Douglas and Shaun Livingston behind Jeremy Lin at the moment, neither of whom are pure PGs, whereas Machado averaged 9.9 assists and shot 40.4 percent from downtown in college. “I feel like Jeremy Lin is a good player,” he said recently. “If I have to sit behind him for a little while then that’s fine, but hopefully one day I’ll be starting for an NBA team.”

The saga continues for the talented rookie with anxiety disorder. News broke yesterday that the Rockets are fining White every day he misses practice or therapy sessions, and he’s already denounced the franchise on Twitter as “INCONSIDERATE.” White hasn’t appeared in any of the Rockets eight games this season and has been inactive for the last four. Rocket rookies Scott Machado and Donatas Motiejunas have also been assigned to the D-League.

The Rio Grande Valley Vipers just got some talent on their roster. White’s anxiety issues were a main story in the preseason and perhaps the Rockets felt it was best to get him get him regular playing time. This move is somewhat surprising, so stay tuned for more confirmation from the team.

Machado is unlikely to play a role in Houston’s rotation, but his move to the D-League was designed to be temporary.